Step-Mom Blues
Submitted by gaamy
My stepdaughters (12 and 9) just wrapped up their five-week visit with us this summer (they live in Georgia we live in North Carolina). While I'm not close with the girls, we do get along, but things that were annoying when they were younger are down right gross and intolerable now.
Their personal hygiene leaves much to be desired! The 12-year-old lies and sneaks so she won't have to change her underwear, and the 9-year-old doesn't wipe her bottom consistently for number one or number two(!).
They're very rude to their father! They talk to him like he's an idiot and show him no respect and are one step away from being outright mean to my daughter—their 3-year-old half-sister! While they were at my house, my daughter would beg for her cousins and actually cheered "Yay Yay Yay!" when she realized they had gone home and weren't coming back.
They don't want to be here and have no problem telling me so. Their mother is of no help—she doesn't see anything wrong with the way they act, and I'm pretty sure she's been talking badly about their dad in front of them.
We're planning on calling social services because their mother has been neglecting them. It's just a general laziness—she can't be bothered with things like making sure they actually bathed or bed time and things like that.
If she gets them taken from her, they will be devastated, and no matter what we say, nothing will convince them that it was because she was not taking care of them or that its what's best for them.
I'm really worried about what will happen if we are awarded custody. A five-week visit was almost too much for me. How am I supposed to cope with their normal issues on top of sadness and anger?
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