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Step-parenting

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Weekends with step kids are boring

137 replies

Navigatingstepparenting · 17/05/2026 10:39

Aibu?

Been together 6 years, live in seperate houses mainly because he has a 4 bed house but won’t have his children share who visit maybe every other weekend these days. My two children can’t share due to my youngest a disability. His mother owes them house and she is apparently told old to sell this house and get a bigger one, told us when she’s dead then we can do what we want but she doesn’t want to. Also financially I would actually be skint living with him.
Anyways his kids are now 12 and 14. They come roughly every other weekend now when I have my kids rather than every weekend. Which I am happier about as means that we get the every other weekend without my children and his and can just relax and chill like we use to when we first got together as he use to have his kids Sundays and Mondays every week but that changed to every Friday and saturday. Unfortunately I will still book my weekends away on my child free weekends and it’s upto him whether he stays at home with his kids or comes with me and he choose to come with me. So I think naturally they now come every other week. But this is now my dilemma. His kids will stay awake a lot durn the night (says he can’t control this because their mother allows it.) and then they sleep u til like 1-2pm. My every other weekend with my children we have to to be quiet until 1-2. Usually I have a lie in Saturdays so they are happy in the room they have to share the 2 nights we are here but then I get up and we don’t do breakfast or lunch until they are up, we just sit and watch tv, play iPads and do nothing with our day or go out and do nothing fun because we wait for them to get up and then they don’t even want to go out. I then get grumpy and in a mood because I’m like this is just boring, he believes it’s doing my kids good as believes over the years they have been too spoilt with weekend to zoos and theme parks etc as his kids didn’t and holidays abroad etc. but I’m bored at home, I also don’t want my eldest wanting to live with his dad because we do nothing. Today I have made plans as he went to work at 7am and his kids let themselves out when they wake up and that’s wrong because I am treating my kids to a day out, well yes unfortunately I am because I have to do something with them! But we can’t make any noise and wake his precious children. I’d i stay at home the weekend we get moaned at that we aren’t spending time together as a family.

I take my kids abroad most years, his kids don’t have passports and that’s a him problem I can’t be expected to pay for them aswell as me and my kids. But I am putting £30 a week into an account same as him to do weekends away in this country with all our children! That’s great but we have done one and have another booked and one of his kids is saying she may not come as it’s too childish. We go to like park deans. But she had a blast last time, and we’ve said we are open to ideas to suit everyone. Anyways he doesn’t really like to go spending on them park days etc but has said this time we can take food to cook and use the money to d a theme park or something to make her want to keep coming. Sorry but she’s just being ungrateful on my eyes. Her mother doesn’t take her away we are trying to do something every other month and it’s not good enough. But he just tells me I am making them the enemy and I’m being harsh. Like err no. She’s being ungrateful.
Now refusing to eat dinner if I cook it, although it’s cooked the exact way he does it.

All his kids did was spend all weekend upstairs anyways! Like what’s the point in coming over? The youngest was because she wanted her friend over Friday night which disturbs everyone as they can’t be quiet. But he thinks it’s great because the friend is allowed to stay here and not the mothers and that he could win the battle with her wanting to move on here.

I get staying home is great we save money but I’m bored of it. Step

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
StandingDeskDisco · 19/05/2026 18:03

StandingDeskDisco · 17/05/2026 16:26

Possibly he is staying married so that he has an excuse not to ever marry you.
Because he doesn't want you having any claim on his future assets.

Quoting myself to add another thought:
Perhaps he knows his wife is due a big inheritance, so he won't divorce her until he gets his hands on a big chunk of it.

Navigatingstepparenting · 19/05/2026 18:36

@EmailsaysOOOso he believes he is entitled to £900 a month of the UC. The UC is roughly 1800. However half the couple allowance is roughly £200. That’s all his allowance on UC as the rest of the £1800 is our disabled element and for my eldest child

OP posts:
Navigatingstepparenting · 19/05/2026 18:37

@StandingDeskDisco I know she isnt, I actually know her family and there is no money in the family. He just likes to be the victim that everyone leaves him which is she files for divorce then he can play that as she divorced him

OP posts:
NewGoldFox · 19/05/2026 18:41

Stop thinking with your fanny and put your kids first.

EmailsaysOOO · 19/05/2026 18:46

Navigatingstepparenting · 19/05/2026 18:36

@EmailsaysOOOso he believes he is entitled to £900 a month of the UC. The UC is roughly 1800. However half the couple allowance is roughly £200. That’s all his allowance on UC as the rest of the £1800 is our disabled element and for my eldest child

Well it doesn't seem to be like he's entitled to £900. If he is doing things for your kids, and assuming your kids won't have to pussyfoot around til 2pm which is stupid given your kids ages, could you agree on somewhere around £400 for him? Honestly it's starting to seem like more of a business transaction than a relationship, don't you think there's something fundamentally wrong underneath?.

RudolphTheReindeer · 19/05/2026 19:06

So you can't clean, cook or do gardening because or your ME/fibromyalgia/mobility issues/depression but you go on holidays and weekends away several times a year, take your kids out every weekend and are moaning that he doesn't want to go out every weekend?

I've an adult dc with ME who can barely get out of bed and can't get even get PIP and then there's piss takers like you out there.

ChateauProvence · 19/05/2026 19:39

You sound like an absolute drip stop prioritising this man and his children over yours. It’s actually embarrassing - why should your poor children have to be quiet on their weekend. Step up and put them first .

TellHerToFuckOff · 19/05/2026 22:19

ChateauProvence · 19/05/2026 19:39

You sound like an absolute drip stop prioritising this man and his children over yours. It’s actually embarrassing - why should your poor children have to be quiet on their weekend. Step up and put them first .

This woman is not prioritising this man’s children. She is actively bullying his youngest child, and turning his oldest child against the youngest, among other things.

THIS POSTER IS DESPICABLE and I would advise everyone to read her past threads, and those of other usernames when you recognise the same spelling errors, before offering any further advice.

She is vile, and he is vile for having this wench anywhere near his children.

MiaKulper · Yesterday 11:45

She has started countless threads over many years. They are under various usernames but nearly all about her younger step-daughter.

MiaKulper · Yesterday 13:33

Blending and resentment. | Mumsnet is probably the OP.

RumPidgeon · Yesterday 23:48

Are you on some sort of drugs? I couldn’t make any sense of what you wrote. Stop slagging his wife off and concentrate on your own life with your kids.

Fountinbeach · Today 14:12

Your poor poor children.
Why does he get to control you and your children.

If you were doing the right thing you wouldn't tolerate him telling you that you cannot stay at home, and have to be controlled at his.

Your choices are so poor.
Putting a man ahead of your children.

Stay at home with your children and put them and their needs first.

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