My Stepson’s relationship broke down February 2018 and he has lived with us pretty much ever since. He has three children aged 7, 5 tomorrow and 2. They come every other weekend from 5pm Friday to 5pm Sunday. They are lovely children and pretty well behaved, but it is hard work. My Stepson’s contact with the children has to be supervised and to be honest I don’t actually know why he made such a fuss about seeing them, if he spends 2 hours with the children over the weekend I’d be surprised. My husband and I both work full time and his shift patterns mean he only gets 7 weekends off a year. The lions share of looking after the children falls to me, hubby helps when he can, Stepson does nothing.
Added to this my Dad is 86 and has Parkinson’s. Since my Mum died six and a half years ago, Dad alternates coming for lunch (and the whole day) to one of my two brothers or us. He is no bother, but obviously we don’t have him when the kids are here as we feel they’re too much for him. Tbh, they’re too much for us at times!
My younger brother has asked me to have Dad on Sunday and I’ve had to say we can’t because we’ve got the children. He hasn’t grumbled, but I know he’s annoyed. He knows how much pressure we’re under, and that we are permanently shattered with no end in sight at present. I feel a bit miffed. Yes, he’s had to change his plans, but at least he gets a chance to have some, we have no social life and if the kids aren’t here we are cleaning up or undoing the damage inflicted on the house by three small children or just collapsing in a heap. Just venting really...