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I have posted once before - last week when my husband's reunion was nearing and our emotions were on overload. I am not sure where I put the post, maybe birthfather's support...but I am the wife. When the reunion date neared we sought the advice of a counselor because the text and IM relationship he and his daughter had developed over the course of 6 weeks had turned intrusive and felt manipulative. Daughter is 26, a newly minted lawyer with anxiety. She seemed so pleased and ready for the contact when my husband reached out - well, maybe not initially. He emailed her mother last summer and daughter was not ready for any contact. She emailed this past October and after tentative and sporadic emails were exchanged she reached out in text to share big news with my husband - she had passed the bar. He felt so exhilarated to be included and they began texting fairly regularly after Thanksgiving. Her birthday was coming up, as were the holidays, and both of us were so excited she wanted to know him, to have a relationship. We bought her gifts and wrote welcoming letters to her. When she received the box she go upset I (as the wife) and not my husband had addressed the box. Her feelings were hurt. He promptly put a birthday card in the mail to her with a personal message he wrote. The texting continued with her sharing many many things with my husband about her past, her emotional disconnection with her adoptive father (her birthmother raised her). He shared with her, too and seemed to have a wonderful connection and so many similarities to share. Things became difficult around the holidays. She was increasingly uncomfortable with lapses in their communication. She would keep him involved in text conversations or instant messaging when she knew his other two kids were here and needed his time (they do not know about her yet), & late into some nights when he would attempt to sign off for the evening (until 2-3am) with her confusion anger and blame. Mornings brought a litany of apologies and reassurance that she was having trouble but wanted to remain involved in growing a relationship. He stayed involved in the difficult conversations(and failed to set boundaries) because he cared about her, knew she was struggling through the 'getting to know you process' with feelings of resentment and anger towards him and the family he had built, and he felt increasingly guilty about his giving her up so many years before.
Just after Christmas he was despondent because she went dark after sharing negative feelings about how there text conversation had gone that day. I texted her myself to plead with her to remember there were more people involved and impacted in this than just her and her mother. She responded with shock the next morning that I would inject myself, although she and I texted and instant messaged through what we were both experiencing and apologies were shared. It was and is truly my intention to be supportive and loving through this process. I truly wanted to welcome her into our lives as much as possible. She did not want to meet not only me, as the spouse, but anyone in the family - although she was anxious to set up a first meeting with my husband, which they did. We were flying to meet her in her town, and it was arranged that I would occupy myself while they visited throughout the weekend. It became a source of contention, with her asking both me and my husband to respect her ask that I not escort him on the trip at all. I had assured her we both wanted what was best for her, the child in the relationship, and I offered to stay home (when she and I were texting) to give her what she needed. We had rented a suite, with an adjoining room, and my husband planned an entire weekend of sightseeing with her and offered for her to stay in the adjoining room if she was comfortable with that. As the date approached, she became very focused on whether or not I was flying down with my husband - knowing I would not meet her and we would absolutely respect that - but my making the trip with him at all was causing difficulty because she did not want her boyfriend, her parents, or anyone else to be a present on her end. She felt we were a 'team' and she wanted him to herself. My husband wanted me to fly down, even if just for moral support on the flight in and on the way out. I had a friend in the town, and was planning on staying with her, but as the conversations unfolded surrounding this issue he became upset that daughter felt justified in attempting to manage all the time he was in her town, how he spent his private time - or whether or not he even had private time..(whether or not with me, alone, etc.) He was uncomfortable that she wouldn't be able to regulate her emotions and become very angry or depressed and he would not know what to do.
One week prior to the meeting we sought the advice of a psychologist - someone who we had seen before when working through my stepson's (bdad's child with his ex) anxiety. Our counselor advised the connecting room was not the best idea - it was sending mixed messages to daughter about the nature of their relationship right now - which was more like relatives that were still getting to know each other. It implied too much too soon. She also advised, not necessarily to change anything at that point, but had she been consulted sooner she would have suggested a more structured first visit with clearly defined boundaries. Also, a move from the constant nature of texting with immediate ability to shoot a message off however damaging - to more careful communication methods like email or even periodic phone conversations. My husband was eager to reset and find balance for himself, while continuing to grow a relationship with his daughter so he made the decision to make the changes prior to the trip. She did not respond well and was very disappointed that her initial vision of the weekend was not going to come to pass. He asked for them to change their method of communication, from constant texting to emails - to allow for more thought and care as they learned more about each other. She complained, and was honest about how that made her unhappy but she very much wanted the meeting to take place. She wanted to text when she felt something, it made her feel close to him - but he stopped responding to her texts and switched to email to try to achieve better structure. For my part during this time, I did voracious research into this complicated process. Read books recommended on this site, found suggestions for the first meeting posted online by the Irish Adoption Council, became aware of the Stages of Reunion...I should also mention, she had 'friended' my husband and myself on Facebook back in late November and they spent a lot time getting to know each other through that world, as well..although we respected her privacy and did not actively participate in posting on her wall or she ours. Seeing his life outside of her fantasy of him was difficult for her at times..his two young children he is a good father to, our wedding back in 2011, my 2 grown children who are involved in his life... My husband offered to postpone the meeting for each of them to get more help in navigating through the process. He wanted it to be positive for them both and it was beginning to feel like a tug of war for control mixed with manipulation and guilt throwing. She insisted it happen, albeit with the changes surrounding timing & location of meetings. Instead of a solid three days of hotel staying, talking, possible sightseeing, they were doing dinner the first night, with a finite end time. The next day, just this past Saturday, he went to her apartment first, to see it and meet her roommate, and then spent the entire day with her at a restaurant watching football and talking, again with an end time. Sunday was off the table per his request to follow the counselors suggestions for more boundaries, not less.
The actual time they spent together was actually very good and pleasant according to my husband. She has since communicated to him, through text and email, that she didn't feel like she got to work through what she needed to, she wanted more time with him and she felt sad/bad that he wouldn't allow for that on Sunday. She used text on Sunday morning to express her displeasure that it was a prettier day than they got together Saturday. He did not respond, which he explained in email was the reason for needing less immediate communication methods for them, given her use of text to vent to him her every bad/sad/anxious/angry feeling. Later in that day, I accidentally posted a picture from our dinner (just me with an old neighbor I had arranged a meal with) -posted it to share with my other old neighbors but not thinking about the potential hurt to her- as we were leaving for the airport... she was, of course, re-injured by the knowledge that he was still in town and not choosing to spend the time with her. She has taken him (both of us really, but I know I am not the relationship she wants or needs so no problem there) off her Facebook. She emailed yesterday that she needs time to reflect if she can get want she wants/needs from him. He responded that he is disheartened the good first meeting and time they spent is now reframed as negative and dissatisfying. I feel awful and want to reach out to her. He wants her in his life. I will not reach out, but everything in me wants to. I know she is feeling rejected, but she is NOT rejected. The boundaries he needed don't mean he doesn't want to grow a relationship with her. This is so new, none of us has done this before. It has been a day and no communication, which after 6 weeks of constant communication is very difficult. It feels better for me just to write all this. My husband is still here for her. We are still ready to welcome her into our lives and family. I wish I could tell her that and just hug her, but I can't. Thanks for reading....
I am sorry. I didn't mean at all that your family should be bifurcated. Your nuclear family is the most important thing. Please ignore my last response. It sounds like it doesn't apply in your situation. I hope time will help.
Hang in there!
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I read in the materials I have poured through that some adoptees deal with emotional connectedness issues as well as certain level of self-centeredness. They can feel like they don't quite 'fit' or 'belong' and the abandonment fears that is almost universal can permeate their relationships. I say almost because some authors have stated emphatically that all adoptees feel a certain way which I don't believe is at all possible. You wrote, " Whether adoption is the root cause is a moot point as far as I'm concerned. We are all responsible for our own feelings and actions." but if her adoption is the root cause of her issues it is not a moot point to her.
How much of your lives you 'owe' her? well - you personally don't 'owe' her anything in my opinion - although I do believe in the connection your husband feels and he may always want to have her in his life in some way. A difficult but necessary thing for me to remember when I am feeling discounted in their relational process is that it is only peripherally about me at all. I am affected, but the primary relationship needs to be formed by my husband and his daughter, whatever that looks like and however that unfolds for any other secondary relationship to be possible. I think all of our relationships with his daughter will be secondary - I will never be a primary emotional bond for her I don't believe, as much as I might want to be. But I believe my husband has an opportunity to try to build that with her if they both want it. As a spouse, it is a difficult process to witness your significant other building such a close adult relationship with another (especially same sex, a woman) that you really aren't a part of. I think the complexity of that alone derails a lot reunions. I am determined to not be the catalyst for failure between them. I have been made aware of so many failed reunions because the spouse can't cope with so much change and I sought help here because I really don't want to be that spouse. Most of the advice I was given was to try to stay out of it but stay supportive, let my husband build what he could but remain available. I didn't listen and felt such a strong pull to be her 'stepmother' too - pull her into my fold with all my other kids in our blended family...and it did not go well at all. I encroached on her by communicating too directly too soon, even though I was well-meaning I upset and hurt her. My husband and I trampled on her boundaries while we tried to establish our own. She reacted to some things we did and we reacted to her and a big fat mess was the result. I continue to hope time repairs things for us all. The trauma we experienced did inform us about what we could say/do/expect and the hope is we can continue to build and grow with it.
Personally, I was falsely encouraged by stories of adoptees who welcomed the spouse and extended family and were so excited and happy to have more people to love and care about. I decided that was us early on and did what I thought was expected and needed to make that 'big happy family' a reality. But hiker mentioned not being ready for months before being able to meet biological relations of hers, and I think that apprehension is not uncommon.
As hiker said, giving her, your husband and yourself time may very well shift a lot of what seems dire right now. As you observed, slowing things way down is pretty imperative for you and I think moving towards professional help in that area & with boundary setting would aid you so much - even if it is only you and your husband getting the guidance.
I am not suggesting she doesn't have some pathology - I certainly couldn't say she does either - but I feel like some things transpire during reunion - certain unusual emotions get kicked up - and it can look like an overarching pathology when none exists outside of the process. You mentioned she has had a myriad of other problems, a lot of people out there in the world do - adopted or no. If she truly deals with psych issues (some sort of personality disorder, narcissism, bi-polar, the list is endless...) a professional will not only help you identify it, but also would help you manage whatever relationship you can have with her - if any. I agree with your not being okay with splitting your family to suit anyone else's needs. With a lot of patience and growth it sounds like she can be a part of the family and I hope that is how it all plays out for all of you.
One of the pieces of advice I received on here was that 'love really does win in the end' - or something like that - maybe it was more like 'love can overcome so much' - I don't remember exactly but you get the point....it impacted me because I very much believe that. Love for each other (me and husband) love for our family, and love for his daughter he is still getting to know I believe will eventually push out the details that made our beginning so difficult.
I read in the materials I have poured through that some adoptees deal with emotional connectedness issues as well as certain level of self-centeredness. They can feel like they don't quite 'fit' or 'belong' and the abandonment fears that is almost universal can permeate their relationships. I say almost because some authors have stated emphatically that all adoptees feel a certain way which I don't believe is at all possible. You wrote, " Whether adoption is the root cause is a moot point as far as I'm concerned. We are all responsible for our own feelings and actions." but if her adoption is the root cause of her issues it is not a moot point to her.
How much of your lives you 'owe' her? well - you personally don't 'owe' her anything in my opinion - although I do believe in the connection your husband feels and he may always want to have her in his life in some way. A difficult but necessary thing for me to remember when I am feeling discounted in their relational process is that it is only peripherally about me at all. I am affected, but the primary relationship needs to be formed by my husband and his daughter, whatever that looks like and however that unfolds for any other secondary relationship to be possible. I think all of our relationships with his daughter will be secondary - I will never be a primary emotional bond for her I don't believe, as much as I might want to be. But I believe my husband has an opportunity to try to build that with her if they both want it. As a spouse, it is a difficult process to witness your significant other building such a close adult relationship with another (especially same sex, a woman) that you really aren't a part of. I think the complexity of that alone derails a lot reunions. I am determined to not be the catalyst for failure between them. I have been made aware of so many failed reunions because the spouse can't cope with so much change and I sought help here because I really don't want to be that spouse. Most of the advice I was given was to try to stay out of it but stay supportive, let my husband build what he could but remain available. I didn't listen and felt such a strong pull to be her 'stepmother' too - pull her into my fold with all my other kids in our blended family...and it did not go well at all. I encroached on her by communicating too directly too soon, even though I was well-meaning I upset and hurt her. My husband and I trampled on her boundaries while we tried to establish our own. She reacted to some things we did and we reacted to her and a big fat mess was the result. I continue to hope time repairs things for us all. The trauma we experienced did inform us about what we could say/do/expect and the hope is we can continue to build and grow with it.
Personally, I was falsely encouraged by stories of adoptees who welcomed the spouse and extended family and were so excited and happy to have more people to love and care about. I decided that was us early on and did what I thought was expected and needed to make that 'big happy family' a reality. But hiker mentioned not being ready for months before being able to meet biological relations of hers, and I think that apprehension is not uncommon.
As hiker said, giving her, your husband and yourself time may very well shift a lot of what seems dire right now. As you observed, slowing things way down is pretty imperative for you and I think moving towards professional help in that area & with boundary setting would aid you so much - even if it is only you and your husband getting the guidance.
I am not suggesting she doesn't have some pathology - I certainly couldn't say she does either - but I feel like some things transpire during reunion - certain unusual emotions get kicked up - and it can look like an overarching pathology when none exists outside of the process. You mentioned she has had a myriad of other problems, a lot of people out there in the world do - adopted or no. If she truly deals with psych issues (some sort of personality disorder, narcissism, bi-polar, the list is endless...) a professional will not only help you identify it, but also would help you manage whatever relationship you can have with her - if any. I agree with your not being okay with splitting your family to suit anyone else's needs. With a lot of patience and growth it sounds like she can be a part of the family and I hope that is how it all plays out for all of you.
One of the pieces of advice I received on here was that 'love really does win in the end' - or something like that - maybe it was more like 'love can overcome so much' - I don't remember exactly but you get the point....it impacted me because I very much believe that. Love for each other (me and husband) love for our family, and love for his daughter he is still getting to know I believe will eventually push out the details that made our beginning so difficult.
thanks again for all of your thoughts and advice. I genuinely want for this to work out. I'm just shocked (not necessarily at you guys) of the pervasive attitude the making the adoptee "whole" is the primary directive and establishing a lasting relationship is the default requirement. I fundamentally disagree that, if given sufficient warning of intentional harm, the bio family OWES her a place in our lives.
Please remember, this woman openly stated she intends to isolate my husband and said she wasn't concerned about coming between he and I. She stated I would just have to "deal". All I'm saying is I'm not willing to go to the mat and neither is my husband.
I hope this works out, but talking this through with colleagues and this forum, I am more certain that if there is still drama and division in 3-4 months, my conscience will be clear and we will take an indefinite break. Trying to build a relationship to heal or make up for the past isn't worth sacrificing my family. Sorry if this sounds harsh, I don't accept that adoptee happiness and fulfillment is the paramount objective. The mantra for physicians when healing is "first, do no harm". I think this applies in adoptee reunion.
Anyway, something to think about. Wish us luck! Sit down is planned for next Thursday.
I am not technically an 'adoptee', as my father figure never officially adopted me, but I fit the loose term and have the loss of my biological father.
Your husband's daughter is emotionally damaged, and has severe attachment issues. This stems from adoption & loss, which is a direct result of her father's decision. It is unfortunate his choices years ago is now affecting your family, and I completely understand, and empathize with you.
Your husband needs to set strict limits and boundaries with her. While he does not owe sacrificing his current family, finances, and marriage....he does owe this young lady his time, and dedication to helping her achieve mental health. This does not mean allowing her to rule y'alls life, and come between you.
Attending therapy with her is a great idea, and potentially needs to be the only contact for a while. If she will not accept this, then communication might need to be severed until she will respect his boundaries. He owes her the chance to heal, not his life. If she declines, cut communication, and have him check back with her in a month to see if she is ready to start therapy together. If not, try again in another month. As parents it is our responsibility to our children to take charge, but this young lady cannot possibly begin to have a real relationship until she has intensive therapy with him.
This is not about you, or the rest of your family. I know from your point of view you feel it is, but this is about your husband, and his daughter. Unfortunately, proper boundaries were not established in the beginning and she feels she can rule the entire family's life, which should not be the case. She needs to not have contact with you, or your children until she works through the issues with her father...in counseling, she does not sound healthy enough to do this without. One day she could possibly be a healthy member of your family, but for now she needs to work on her feelings of anger towards her father. And as her father, he owes her that time. In therapy, not in the abuse relationship she is forcing on all of you.
It probably would be a good idea for your family to attend therapy as well, it seems you all have been traumatized by this woman.
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Surprisestepmom
I'm just shocked (not necessarily at you guys) of the pervasive attitude the making the adoptee "whole" is the primary directive and establishing a lasting relationship is the default requirement. I fundamentally disagree that, if given sufficient warning of intentional harm, the bio family OWES her a place in our lives.
Please remember, this woman openly stated she intends to isolate my husband and said she wasn't concerned about coming between he and I.
I don't think most (if any) of us are saying that our biological families owe us a relationship.
But, things can get heated during reunion, especially with the non-biologically-related relatives.
You say that she wants to isolate her father from you. Well, is that even possible? The two of you sound as though you are a united front. If she gets to spend some time alone with him, it certainly will not affect the strength of your relationship with him.
This is my take on what's happening (based solely on what you've told us): adoptees often feel abandoned by their biological families. And, she is desperately trying now to make a connection with her father. She fears abandonment again. So, she's trying to cling to the relationship.... If you allow her to have alone time with her father, allow her to develop a bond with him, she may begin to feel a stability within the relationship, and she may stop pressing for quantity of time over quality of time with him.
As she becomes more comfortable with her primary relationship within your family (her father), she will hopefully begin to open up to the idea of knowing the rest of the family.
Since your relationship with your husband is so strong, I don't see how she can isolate him from you and the rest of the family. Your husband seems to be on the same page as you are.
So, recommendation is to allow her to get to know her father alone--for now. Maybe that will create some permanency in her mind. (I don't think it's possible for her to isolate him--period. But, if she gets to see him once every two weeks--and, I'm not saying for a full day--she certainly cannot isolate him.)
Good luck!
Dear surprisestepmom
I understand that it must be confusing to you that so many here seem to be more concerned about the adoptee than about you. As an adoptee I am equally concerned about your husband and the adoptee. But I do think your role should be to support your husband in whatever way he needs. I don't believe there is any way this young woman could come between you and your husband if you step back and let the two of them work out their issues. She can't force him to spend birthdays or Christmas without you. She can't force him to loan her money. If she asks those things and he is having trouble be supportive and hear him out but try to not get emotionally involved. I know it's not easy.
I was quite envious of my brother's wife at the beginning. After all, she had known him for years, lives with him etc and I only just met him. I wanted to spend time with him without her. (Remember that I am 15 years older than your husband's relinquished daughter and I was dealing with a bio brother not a bio father. It must all be so much more loaded for both of them.) It took a few months for me to realize that my brother and I have a solid relationship and then I was able to get to know his wife. She is a wonderful woman and I am happy that my brother has a supportive wife who wasn't threatened by his developing a strong relationship with a new woman. I asked her once if she didn't think our whole reunion was odd and she replied that she was happy it makes him happy. We all spend time together now and it is wonderful but it took me a while to get here.
On my family's end, if my husband had any uncomfortable feelings about me being preoccupied by a handsome intelligent man who was basically a stranger, he didn't show them to me. He listened when I was confused or overly emotional, waited patiently when I was too distracted and wrapped up in myself to be good company for him. He spoke with my kids about being patient as I was going through a very strange thing that none of them could understand. (I didn't know that until recently.) He joined me and my bio relatives when I asked him to and stayed away when I wanted time alone with them. Anyway, because of all this our marriage is stronger than ever- I know that he is confident in our relationship, he trusts me, he has my back with our kids etc. I bet Missy's husband appreciates her in the same way.
I understand that she is causing drama in your family but try to let the drama belong only to your husband and support him as he works it out. Even though I am an adoptee, I disagree that the adoptee's needs are the most important. Your husband probably has complicated feelings that he is unaware of and the best thing you can do is support him as he figures out what he wants. If this falls apart because you feel threatened regrets may arise in the future.
If you support him as he figures out what HE wants to do, I bet your family will be stronger than ever. Maybe she will become part of your lives maybe she won't. As I mentioned in an earlier post, another bbrother and I were unable to work out a relationship and may never speak again. But if that had happened because of my husband's or children's involvement I might now be second guessing my own actions.
I send lots of good wishes to your husband as he travels this emotional road. All of my brothers have said that my bfather would have loved to have met me before he died. It may not feel this way now but whether your husband works out an acceptable relationship with her or not, he will not have to wonder about her for the rest of his life. That is a blessing.
I applaud you for finding this site because it shows that you care and I wish you a lot of patience and love and kindness.
PS I was drafting this elsewhere and now see LR's post. LR is very wise. Some of what I have written is repetitive but I am not going to revise it. I hope you realize that we all wish the best for you! This site was a godsend for me over the last year. I didn't know who I was, why I was so emotional etc.
I know our stories are very different - I don't identify with your stepdaughter's self-destructive behavior, but I do identify with the longing to know.
She definitely needs to do some therapy with a therapist trained in adoption reunion. Both of you could benefit from reading "Coming Home to Self" by Nancy Verrier - it's a game changer. Logical - I'm not sure that is the word I'm looking for - behavior doesn't come into play in reunion. A lot of the behavior patterns stem from great loss; it changes the game in how everyone deals with the process of reunion.
If I would guess - and I'm just guessing - as I still haven't talked to my birthfather's wife (the "reasons" are well documented here, so I won't go into it) I would guess, if she looked deep inside herself, that she feels the following:
-Sadness that I wasn't a part of their lives.
-Anger that I actually did turn out alright - I didn't need their "saving".
-A sense of loss of what could have been.
-Anger with my birthfather on the way he handled my relinquishment and adoption (he didn't - he walked away).
Those are just some of the things I think about, but I will probably never know. I don't walk in her shoes and she doesn't walk in mine, but I do know that I have tried to see all sides; I don't think that she has - or ever intends to.
It's never one side that is causing all the "problems" - I think that is where I got so fired up with my first response - it's not the daughter suddenly being "found" and messing up everyone else's life - that is causing all this heartache. It's the fact that no one has ever dealt with the loss - deep, deep down inside.
I was always known to everyone, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal for me to "find" them - well, I got that one wrong - big time. But, everything that "went down" is not only by my doing. It takes 2 to make it a relationship. Boundaries are important. You haven't known your stepdaughter too long, yet you know a lot about her - too much too soon - same with my birthfather and me. We both went a lighting speed trying to make up for lost time; there was no race to win, we could have taken a walk instead. Instead, we all crashed and burned.
But, in the end, meeting my birthfather is one of my life's greatest blessings - I know it is his too - his own family told me as much - he told me as much, but the pain, the pain is just too much sometimes to go forward...
If you've done any reading on Reunion, I'm sure you've read about the stages of Reunion:
RELATIONSHIP STAGES AFTER REUNION
(Author Unknown)
Not every individual goes through every stage; they may not be sequential, they may be repeated. The stages are common to the post-reunion period and are normal consequences of reunion.
HONEYMOON STAGE:
Characterized by euphoria, joy and sense of being on top of the world
Effort made by parties to find similarity and common interests
Much time spent together in an effort to catch up on each others life with exchanges of photos, letter and gifts.
Preoccupation with other party
Minor negotiations about relationship, ie. What to call birth parent
Some uncertainty about place or role in otherҒs life, frequency of contact, how to introduce each other to friends and family members
TIME OUT STAGE:
One party may pull back to evaluate and process events. The honeymoon is over. Other party may feel confused when this happens. Birth parents may feel hurt, angry, frustrated and frightened if adoptee pulls back and adoptee may feel rejected by birth parent if he/she pulls back
Problems in relationship may develop here due to lack of understanding of the process; society has few role models for this experience
Parties may seek professional help to resolve situation
SHOWDOWN STAGE:
Confrontation of parties to address status of relationship and its future development
If birth parent initiates confrontation, she/he may fear loss of child again different confronting adopted adult because biological tie is not enough to assure success. In parenting, the element of permanency exists and the bond is not so fragile
If adopted adult confronts birth parents, she/he may fear being rejected by birth parents
DISENGAGEMENT STAGE:
Characterized by adopted adult or birth parents really moving away from the other, not just pulling back
Can be extremely painful for either party with feelings of anger, loss and rejection
Can occur if expectations are too rigid and differences between parties are too great
SOLIDIFYING STAGE:
Characterized by earnest negotiations between parties; roles, differences, issues continue to be worked on, but the relationship is more solid and settled with few ups and downs because agreement has been reached in many areas
Re-negotiations occur as life changes and growth takes place and new relationship roles emerge
I wish you peace.
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Apparently, Moonbeam.
This just happened on another thread with another poster. In that instance, the poster was the OP, so it made all of the follow-up posts irrelevant, and my post was bumped up to the top as though I asked a question.
I'm guessing this poster here either felt she'd given out too much information about the stepdaughter, or she didn't like what we had to say.
Hi all
I wanted to let you know that I had sent surprisestepmom a pm. She appreciated the alternate points of view that we provided but she asked to have her posts removed because she felt she had posted too much personal information.
Best of luck to her.
I, also didn't know you could have your posts deleted. The information on the forum suggests otherwise. But I wanted to say to hiker - I read your most recent post and I hope I haven't mucked things up too much for my husband and his daughter. So much intense emotion on all sides has been felt and they are still navigating through the delicate 'getting to know you' time. I have, in the weeks since the initial reunion, worked really hard to dial way back my own emotional involvement that you suggested suprisestepmom do. In practice, it is not the easiest thing when you have a busy life with kids and daily work is being done to blend families and deal with all of life's other hot button issues. I can see how suprisestepmom would think that after my initial frantic posting on all the details of the roller coaster I felt I was on, my personal advice and tone seemed to discount all of that and focus on what my husband's daughter might need and what my husband needs from me. But it is truly a result of the information you guys have given me on the forum (thank you!) and the numerous case studies I have read that have allowed to me step out of myself a bit and try to have a more complete understanding of what is happening here. And what all of you say is so dead on in my experience - there is a young person who has a family member she needs and wants to know and on what level that happens now or in the future is up to her and my husband. Not me. Whatever I feel or struggle with in the interim is not only for me to work on independent of the process, but for my husband and I to come together on and figure out. That was the tough part for me initially, and who knows - I may struggle with it again...but like I said before - my hope is that whatever each of them need in this they can get without my unnecessary interference. Of course I want a part, because it is important to my husband and we share a life and I love him, but if I end up not having a role at all over time and his relationship with his daughter is independent of everyone in our family I can and will make peace with that.
There is so much uncertainty wrapped into this process and people deal with fear, perceived threat and change so differently. As unknown personalities come together and mix with the heightened emotions this process provides it is a volatile cocktail to be sure!
I wish suprisestepmom the best, too - as well as all of you who have been a much needed support and source of information for me.
:)
I, also didn't know you could have your posts deleted. The information on the forum suggests otherwise. But I wanted to say to hiker - I read your most recent post and I hope I haven't mucked things up too much for my husband and his daughter. So much intense emotion on all sides has been felt and they are still navigating through the delicate 'getting to know you' time. I have, in the weeks since the initial reunion, worked really hard to dial way back my own emotional involvement that you suggested suprisestepmom do. In practice, it is not the easiest thing when you have a busy life with kids and daily work is being done to blend families and deal with all of life's other hot button issues. I can see how suprisestepmom would think that after my initial frantic posting on all the details of the roller coaster I felt I was on, my personal advice and tone seemed to discount all of that and focus on what my husband's daughter might need and what my husband needs from me. But it is truly a result of the information you guys have given me on the forum (thank you!) and the numerous case studies I have read that have allowed to me step out of myself a bit and try to have a more complete understanding of what is happening here. And what all of you say is so dead on in my experience - there is a young person who has a family member she needs and wants to know and on what level that happens now or in the future is up to her and my husband. Not me. Whatever I feel or struggle with in the interim is not only for me to work on independent of the process, but for my husband and I to come together on and figure out. That was the tough part for me initially, and who knows - I may struggle with it again...but like I said before - my hope is that whatever each of them need in this they can get without my unnecessary interference. Of course I want a part, because it is important to my husband and we share a life and I love him, but if I end up not having a role at all over time and his relationship with his daughter is independent of everyone in our family I can and will make peace with that.
There is so much uncertainty wrapped into this process and people deal with fear, perceived threat and change so differently. As unknown personalities come together and mix with the heightened emotions this process provides it is a volatile cocktail to be sure!
I wish suprisestepmom the best, too - as well as all of you who have been a much needed support and source of information for me.
:)
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hiker
PS I was drafting this elsewhere and now see LR's post. LR is very wise. Some of what I have written is repetitive but I am not going to revise it. I hope you realize that we all wish the best for you! This site was a godsend for me over the last year. I didn't know who I was, why I was so emotional etc.
Please... wise ... ha!... just my thoughts. That's all.
When giving advice, I think similar thoughts from different people help others to see that there might be something credible about the advice being doled out.
Missy
I meant it when I said I think your husband is lucky. I can only imagine what it is like for you - just as I can only imagine what it has been like for my nuclear family. But it sounds to me like your instincts are all dead on. None of us are perfect and we are dealing with most unusual situations. I am so used to relying on friends for advice about parenting etc. but in this instance I couldn't find any friends with any familiarity with what we are going through! Hang in there and be kind as kind to yourself as you are being to your husband and bdaughter.
LR4 I meant what I said about you too! I often don't post when I see that someone has already presented my POV. But you are right that repetitiveness here is not a bad thing.
:)