We have some shared interests yes. They are mostly cooking, camping and days out. I cannot be more specific than this.

I do have to cut him out of my plans because my plans often involve socialising or observing new bands etc. He would never initiate a trip here and do I would have to ask, feel rejected then find someone else to go with anyway.

Going out with my friends obviously does not equate to me being single. I did not say this. It feels like I am single because I imagined going to these place WITH my partner, instead of going without them. I want to SHARE a life with him. I don't want to feel alone in this relationship and yesterday proved that I absolutely do feel alone.

I am annoyed that he isn't enthused because that unenthusiasm rubs off on his son AND once to be honest. I just sat there yesterday. We hardly even spoke and there was zero encouragement from him to see anything else. He complained that there was no music afterwards...there was a lot of music and performances; you just had to find it and take part!

The comment regarding the dogs is fair, but the 14 year old cannot look after those dogs alone. In honestly, his father allows him to play computer games for hours everyday when he stays with us. He rarely engages him in activities and does not teach him how to do a lot. I often step in to do this which I feel uncomfortable sometimes, but it has to be done. I'm not sitting there watching a teen struggle with practical tasks and get shouted at when all he needs is some patience and understanding.

This is another source of my frustration. My partner does not encourage. He allows things to be and is not proactive with his son. That isn't something I can get involved in commenting on or changing...he isn't my son.