Forums:  General Discussion Hello everyone! It's been awhile. It looks like me and my husband found what works best for us since his kids are still living with us. I disengaged and it works, although still not easy mentally having to see stepkid who once insulted me walking in our house everyday, doing all the mess etc.  I was on another forum and there a woman asked for advice on how to deal with her stepson who has mental problems etc. She is feeling detached and doesn't want to be around him, she is also expecting a child of her own and is worried how the stepkid going to ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion Quick background... my wife and I blended families under one roof about 2.5 years ago.  Been married for about 1.5 years. She has 1 son, I have 3 sons. We do not blend finances, except for our agreed share of the mortgage and utilities for the house we share.  Both work, both do well. Anyway... pre-marriage we signed an agreement a lawyer drafted that listed our individual assets, what our responsiblities toward the shared mortgage and home expenses are, and basically states we keep other finances seperate and don't combine/share/co-mingle&nbs ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion Watched a Reel this AM on CS.  No CO.  There is a direct agreement between CP and NCP the   NCP will pay $450/mo in CS for a 13yo daughter. NCP gets a debit card in 13yo's name and deposits the CS to that card.  CP calls to complain that the CS was not paid.  NCP sends snip of deposit to the debit card. CP gets angry. NCP explains the CS is for the DD and only the DD.  CS is not for the CP's several other kids, or the CPs "do", "nails", etc. No doubt court and a CO will follow shortly. NCP is brilliant.  Can track what ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion I have taken a number of assessement tests over the course of my career.  One thing that is common is that I am exceptionally NOT change averse.  I thrive on it. It dawned on me today while catching  up on STalk threads that maybe this is, at least in part, why my marriage to a younger mate has worked.  When she was 18 and we married I was 30, I never had an issue with revisiting experiences I had lived prior to her, with her.  They were not repeats. They were different.  I was different. It may not have been my first ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion Winning the parent/family lottery is no small thing. Losing that lottery can be catastrophic.   Though, IMHO, only for as long as a person chooses to embrace the path and embrace the example that that the less than quality parent/family perpetrate in their own lives. At some point the baggage we inherrit is our baggage to resolve, or embrace.  Ultimately, that choice is ours. Yes, I won the parent and family lottery.  So it may be a relatively easy stance for me to take. So, thoughts?  Does the individual own their own outcome regard ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion Hi all, I wonder if anyone can shed light on a behavior that I can't figure out. SS has a love affair with money. He has taken cash from his dad's wallet, has abused bm and dh's credit cards, probably to the tune of a couple thousand dollars in terms of charging items without permission. That's not even including the times he'll push the boundaries, like ordering triple the amount of food he actually ends up eating for delivery and other indulgences. When SS was 15 yo, we were visiting his grandma (dh's mom) who has dementia but was just in the early stages ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion Hi all, I've been step mom for 2 boys for 7 years now.  they are both completely useless and their very presence is an irratation.    did anyone manage to get them out of your house? Their is no moms house he can move to unfortunately. right now my only option is to get him through the next two years and hope he goes to college at 18. It's a good option but it's still 2 years more and would require a lot from me to get him through his exams as he is lazy and get him there.    Has anyone got any creative ideas to get him moving out so ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion I'm just venting, but this 15 year old stepchild boy is driving me crazy. He's so entitled and lazy and disrespectful. I told him he needs to get a job to save up for a car because I'm not going to drive him around. And he said " that's something to consider." I said no, it's something to be done. He constantly misses the bus and dw has to endlessly prod him to get his schoolwork finished. He's been kicked out of school for having fireworks and for lighting a napkin on fire at school. He's in therapy, but I don't know if he talks. He only grunts at me...don ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion fertilizer for the flowers?  Howdy boys and girls, all you glorious stepsters!  We're days away from May and according to the riddle: April showers bring May flowers and May flowers bring ..pilgrims!   So, without further ado   How the heck are YOU?  You not them or him or her or satans evil spawn and the BM they fell out of.   How are you doing? What are you doing? Everything good, meh or do you need me to dig a body sized hole in my back yard?  What is up w/ you???   ..read more

Forums:  General Discussion So for those of you who have read my previous posts about being disrespected by SD19 and SO having high expectations towards me, just a little update I ended up buying Easter eggs for both SS13 and SD19. Just trying to be nice ! SO made a basket with other stuff and added mine inside. He gave it to them when I wasn't home and said it's from both of us.   Next time SKs visited, no thank you from them, no acknowledgement for me at all whatsoever, no hello, not even looking at me. I'm basically a ghost. SD went straight to her room after letting ..read more