Thought it might be fun to start a thread for fortnightly contact visits... Step parenting is our safe place - right ? If that is true, can I just be really really honest with you and say, I am sitting here with 2 of my dd's . Ds and two dsc who live with us are all out doing what teenagers do on a Friday... And I am clock watching and feeling the familiar dread as the clock reaches 7:15 pm and my dh comes back through the door with the other dsc (early teens) ..who are treated (and behave) like 3 yr olds. Every fortnight has the familiar feeling of dread as I know the next 48 hrs will be filled with tantrums, fighting, pinching, attention seeking and ridiculously infantile behaviour... Ten years on...no change, absolutely no change..except now I plan to be out most of the weekends to avoid them. No longer feel the need to 'make it one happy family' ... Even their own siblings find it unbearable. The other 12 days a fortnight I have a fabulous family life, lovely dh, fantastic, engaging, intelligent, self sufficient dcs/dsc . When will the others grow up ? Currently 13, 14 &16 !!!