Tag Archives: Kids
Holidays?
I am absolutely trashed with tiredness. It’s been a busy few days; the Boys’ arrival, visitors, including a child who gets up four-plus times for the toilet each night, a midnight replay of some Grand Final or other that the … Continue reading
Filed under Kids, Stepfamily Life
The countdown
Pillows, mattresses and doonas are sunned, aired and smoothed. Beds are made up – navy and white star bedspreads, varied with sky blue, ruby red and burnt orange sheets. The colours burn; they’re beautiful. Cupboards are emptied, ready for small socks, … Continue reading
Filed under Kids, Stepfamily Life
Just asking
Does anyone else find it really, really difficult when your partner wants you to look through photos of his kids as babies that were taken when his first family was intact? Mixed in are inevitably photos of the kids’ mum, … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Family, Kids, Lovely Man, Random, Stepfamily Life, The Ex
Shades of beige
Monday was the first night of our regular week with the kids. As usual, Boy A was fairly hostile towards me: he refused to respond to my hello, and every comment I made (not to him – I don’t waste … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Kids, Lovely Man, Speaking Up Challenge, Stepfamily Life
House Rules – final version
House Rules Words We speak courteously and respectfully. No running each other down. We call people only what they want to be called. When somebody’s talking to us, we listen and don’t interrupt. We say please and thank you. Actions … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Family, Kids, Stepfamily Life
Making rules…
…but for pity’s sake don’t even think of calling them “family rules”! I can almost hear the reaction now, echoed back from eleventy million step households: “You’re not my family and you don’t make rules for me!” [Sarcasm switches off] … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Counselling, Kids, Lovely Man, Me, Stepfamily Life
And… another search string
Found in my blog stats today, in the section showing what search phrases lead poor hapless victims readers here was this sad snippet of stepmother misery: “my husband is teaching his kids to treat stepmom as a doormat” I would … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Kids, Lovely Man, Stepfamily Life
The question
My sweet, concerned Dad asked me a question the other day, in the aftermath of my first meeting with the Lovely Man’s ex-wife. Dad: So, uh, do you see things working out with you and the Lovely Man long-term, B? … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Family, Kids, Lovely Man, Me, Stepfamily Life, Writing
The Unnegotiables
Boy A once described something as “unnegotiable” – I’ve never forgotten the clumsy word. A brilliant post from Urban Stepmom got me thinking about what is “unnegotiable” for me. In the past, I’ve tended to put up and shut up a … Continue reading
Filed under Communication, Kids, Stepfamily Life
Dilemma
Is it better to insist, for reasons of character development, that the Boys contribute properly to picking up the twelvety-kajillion pieces of Lego, ranging from microscopic to Great Dane-sized, currently spread in a tide line across the loungeroom floor? Or … Continue reading
Filed under Family, Kids, Lovely Man, Me, Stepfamily Life, Writing
