DH had a bad Christmas: a cautionary tale on keeping one's nose out of any parenting decisions. However small.

[PeeAche]

On Christmas morning, the DSC woke up at 4.30am and emptied their stockings.

DSS (who is 7) spent most of Christmas Day basically unable to function due to tiredness. I think this also made him irritable.

DSS also did not write a letter to Father Christmas this year. Didn't want to and couldn't be cajoled into it.

At 9ish when we unwrapped our gifts, DSS was very unhappy to not get Pokémon cards from The Big Guy. (Apart from 20 specialist shiny ones that came in his stocking.)
Father Christmas had instead left him some Lego which DSS was very unhappy about and refuses to even look at. DSS is usually a Lego fiend and especially likes the themed sets - which these were. (Harry Potter)

My DH and I had bought DSS some Pokémon cards in a collectible tin (it was on DSS's Christmas list) but these had been given from us and not Santa. DSS was pleased with this but could not understand why Father Christmas hadn't just bought him even more Pokémon cards. DSS says that when he went to bed on Christmas Eve, he closed his eyes and wished and wished to Santa for nothing but "millions of Pokémon cards".

Anyway...

Rewind to about 1 week before Christmas and DH says to me "I don't know if I should give the Pokémon cards or the Lego from Father Christmas?" I advised that if we were putting the 20 specialist, shiny and v v expensive cards in the stocking, then the tin might be better coming from us. DH said "that's what I thought too" and then he wrapped and labelled the stuff appropriately. The end.

Today DH says it's my fault for weighing in. He says he "knew" he should have given the Pokémon cards from The Man in Red. 🙄

I think DH is being silly and maybe that my DSS should have been told to not be so ungrateful. But I haven't passed any comment on the matter. I really don't think my DH should be tied up in knots over it but DH is just very upset that he "dropped the ball" on his son's Christmas and thinks he's done a bad job.

I also slightly dried out the breast meat on the turkey (a crime in this house but please forgive me, I was cooking for 14 people in a new kitchen!) and my DH's father tested positive on Christmas morning and so his parents couldn't come over. So all in all, my DH had a "bad Christmas". He's just dropped off the kiddos with their mum and now he's taken himself off to bed. 🙄🙄

So listen up, step parents - even if it seems innocuous - having any opinion on anything, however small, can come back to bite you in the butt!

Next year when my DH asks me what should come from Father Christmas I am going to say "whatever you think, dear" 😅

No, I'm not leaving my husband over Pokémon cards.
No, I'm not the other woman.
No, I don't hate my step children.
Yes, of course I brined the turkey!!

You started a thread moaning about your dss and dh. What did you think was going to happen in the responses? People agree with you that they've behaved badly and now you're having a go at them!

@Stepmonstera I think you've not read the thread properly. I'm "having a go" at people that are wading in with shitty comments about me giving everyone a bad Christmas.

DH has been a dickhead. No disputing that. 🤷🏻‍♀️. Try again.

Your post at 17.21 and the ones after that would beg to differ.

@PeeAche sorry to hear about the positive test...what a nightmare! FWIW I don't think it sounds at all like you had a terrible Christmas at your house. Some people really don't know how lucky they are if they think a falling out with the DH and a bit of grief from your DSS is something to be seriously concerned about. Christmas is stressful for a lot of people for lots of different reasons. Honestly

Again, you have misunderstood. I think perhaps you are having some difficulty understanding my position here.

Just because my DH is being a prick, does not mean that I should regret "breeding" with him. It's sick that people think they should say these things to me. And then women like you come along and say "what did you expect?" Like I deserve it. Trawling through. Quoting the time stamps at me, as though saying some numbers makes your approach correct or scientific in some way.

Imagine if you spoke to someone like this in real life. Pathetic.

Sorry @Cuddlemuffin my last post was directed at @Stepmonstera.

Thank you. :)

Gosh this reminds of the hours/days/week I will never get back watching stupid Pokemon tv shows 20 years ago! Didn't realise how popular they still are! I took DS2 to see the Pokemon the Movie when I was pregnant with DS3, it was the worst and most boring movie I have ever sat through! And being tested by DS constantly on how much I knew about Pokemon, OMG. My advice is don't get drawn into t the Pokemon cards Ther'es a reason they are banned from most schools.

Anyway, anything expensive needs to come from actual people, not Santa, so that children know who to express their thanks to. DS1 once made a list for Santa and a list for us parents, I still don't know if he was pushing his luck or not, but I did explain pretty damn quick that Santa only gave token, stocking presents, otherwise it would get too expensive for him!
Hope your DH feels better soon and that you haven't caught it too.

"Oh no, I can't manage a thing... well, maybe just a pack of noodles. And a piece of bread. Can you butter the bread? Do we have any Forrero Roche left? That'll do. I don't have much of an appetite." 😅

Man 'flu

Feel sorry for the haters, Peachy. Their children are having Christmas with the ex this year and someone needs to share their pain. Why they need to pick on someone who is already up to their ears, I don't get, but hey. It's not you, it's them.

I don't know about HG, but when I first tried a 3D PC game, I needed to chew on crystallized ginger constantly to keep my dinner down (Random fun fact).

Pokémon is the most ridiculously in-depth universe that my step children have ever been obsessed with. A few years ago, my step son would only talk about Dinotrucks. At the time I thought "can you die from listening to a 4 year old talk about Dinotrucks? Because, it feels like you can die from it."

Well. Dinotrucks got nothing on Pokémon. (Now I miss Dinotrucks.)

On Boxing Day I asked my step son if Magmar is evolved from Scorbunny. He literally laughed in my face and told me that not all firetypes are the same. Duh, PeeAche.

I felt so old.

My 30 somethings are also into Pokémon. At least it's got them running up hills over the years to catch whatever the 'must have right now' is!

At the time I thought "can you die from listening to a 4 year old talk about Dinotrucks? Because, it feels like you can die from it.

😂 This really tickled me, I had the same experience. Thankfully in that regard my DSS has had many fleeting phases since then so his pokemon obsession didn't stick.

@SpaceshiptoMars you know what when Pokemon go was all the rage, I would find them all around our house - we live right by sea. Something about a gym ? Or some type of pokemon hotspot thing idk 🤷🏼‍♀️ and I honestly cursed the gods at pokemon for turning my house into a beacon for random people lurking outside my house all hours of the day, they would come in masses. It was like a consistent fucking party.

Drove me batty. I resent all things pokemon now. I hoped it had died out but it seems to have gathered members be no ones aging out of the pokemon cult.

Anyway sorry ranting ! I still have a slight chip on shoulder re pokemon.

@Stepmonstera there's a difference between offering sympathy or even support and going oh well what did you expect. Also breeding is a vile way to refer to having children, imagine if a SM referred to her SC as a result of breeding. You would probably have something to say about that use of phrase in that situation. But since is a SM it's fair game right 🙄

Sounds like you had a pretty normal Christmas with a blended family. Tired kids get narky and sometimes parents have bigger expectations than the kids. Now you have COVID to contend with. Christmas is over now forget it tell your DH to forget it. Hope you don’t all get COVID. Eat chocolates and hope 2022 is a peaceful one.