I'm probably being silly, but here goes: ex-DH got in touch with our DC a couple of years ago, after not seeing them since they were very small (pre school age). To his credit he is trying to rebuild his relationship with them, and also their younger half-siblings (not mine, two other mothers), who he treated in the same fashion. On the whole, I am happy about this, he is their father and it's only right that they know him. I do worry that he may decide to abandon them again, but accept that he does seem to have matured.
My problem is with his new girlfriend, who has thrown herself into the role of step-mother, and talks about mine and ex-DH's children as 'our kids' - as in her and ex-DH's children. She also constantly refers to ex-DH as 'Dad' rather than 'your Dad'. Initially, I thought she was talking about her own father, and find it a bit odd that she would do this.
She also never praises DC for anything they've done at university or work, instead she'll praise their father, as though, despite his absence from their lives for so many years he has managed to bring them up well. This is the thing that is really, really bugging me. DH and I brought DC up; DH has been a constant and stable part of their lives for nearly 20 years. It makes me bloody angry to see him (and me) being sidelined by someone who has known them for less than a year.
As I said at the beginning, I know I'm probably being silly, and I'm not going to say anything - I don't want to be 'that' mother. I suppose really, I wanted to rant, so if you've read this far, thank you!