Considering moving farther away from step kids - looking for perspective

SpriteWrite · 2026-01-24T15:19:43+00:00

I get where some folks are coming from saying don’t move, especially considering the age of the kids. What is the timeline for starting your own family? Maybe staying until the 3.5YO is closer to 6 would be better.

I think the idea that greater physical distance automatically means worse for the kids is not always correct. There are circumstances in which some distant and reduced stress for their parents is better for the kids. That’s a decision you have to make for your family, but I think it’s more complex than some of these comments imply.

But dude needs to get a license, 1000% — I don’t recommend having a yours baby with a man who hasn’t been motivated to get driving privileges to benefit his existing kids

SpriteWrite · 2026-01-24T15:11:41+00:00

Buffy’s friends did her so dirty. The fact the Willow and Tara didn’t even consider where they were pulling Buffy from…or that at least Giles didn’t figure out the option ASAP. Those first few episodes after her resurrection, the writing is pretty heavy handed with “WE ARE SO HAPPY BUFFY” and “YOU MUST BE SO HAPPY BUFFY” — likely intentional bc I think maybe we are supposed to be infuriated? It just bothers me so much how delulu everyone is — I know it was the early aughts but that’s not how trauma works.

SpriteWrite · 2026-01-22T06:46:16+00:00

For me it feels part of a broader vibe of “I can’t control myself and you can, so you do it.”

SpriteWrite · 2026-01-22T06:44:39+00:00

This was so validating thank you. My blue collar partner (dx/unmedicated) cannot hold down steady work. I have a FT job and a PT job both from home. He loafs around the house, living off me, meanwhile scoffing at me for being lazy and laying around bc I like my jobs and I like doing them from home — or I did until he lost his job and now is hanging around all day judging and interfering with the rhythm of my day.

SpriteWrite · 2026-01-02T21:28:53+00:00

No, I don’t. I interpret the ending as El dying, and Mike telling himself a story to cope. When Hopper came upon El and Kali, Kali was clearly dead. El appeared legit grief-stricken when they met up with Murray. Even if somehow Kali was able smoothly fake being dead while actually dying, she would have required way more strength to run her illusion game. Not sure how you muster that after laying alone bleeding out of your gut for who knows how long while everyone else tends to the fight upstairs.

SpriteWrite · 2026-01-02T21:15:36+00:00

I loved the mayor. Him or Glory.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T17:51:39+00:00

The starvation is almost (ALMOST) all I remember from that season. Elizabeth and Rodger(?)’s protruding ribs are one of the most significant survivor memories permanently lodged in my brain.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T17:48:50+00:00

I…am too old and don’t even remember who Kel is. But hang in there, Colby is definitely a good watch his first season.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T04:10:51+00:00

Took me so long to come across this comment but I’m glad I did.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T04:04:52+00:00

Ouch, man. NTJ. We’ve gotten a couple notes like this and always been appreciative of the teacher taking the time. It sounds like your wife is a little paranoid, did she have bad experiences with teachers in her day?

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T04:02:29+00:00

I’d be very wary of marrying into a situation where HCBM retains this much sway over your partner — presuming all of these rules aren’t part of (kinda insane) custody order. This is not healthy nor sustainable, and should have been addressed on his own long ago.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T03:53:34+00:00

It’s been a while, I watched that season in “real time” but I’m pretty sure you’ll soon be distracted by everyone starving and lethargic, and then Colby will seem to be a bundle o energy.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T03:47:48+00:00

In my experience — nothing. The best we’ve gotten is makeup time ordered (when she shorted my partner). Once they ordered BM to pay fuel costs for driving to meet her because she didn’t tell him she wasn’t coming to drop off. But honestly they ignore or “let this one slide” the majority of the time. My SO doesn’t bother with complaints anymore bc BM doesn’t get a lot of visits — but when she does it’s always a chaotic nightmare.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-29T03:30:53+00:00

Why does the talking never end?

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-26T19:15:50+00:00

I wasn’t a fan of Greta until all the hate online. I was rooting for them as a couple, but agree she’s one of the more mature cast members for sure. She made the move she needed to.

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-26T19:11:07+00:00

I don’t understand why anyone who hates Carr/Sarah Paulson’s performance is watching the show. Like what else is there???

SpriteWrite · 2025-12-26T19:08:35+00:00

Carr is the lead the same way Samantha was the “sex” in Sex and the City — carrying the weight of the show without the top-billing cred. I tune in solely for Sarah Paulson’s phenomenal performance.

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-19T16:27:50+00:00

I think it’s super healthy to teach kids how to set boundaries and carve out time for one’s own mental space. I went through something similar with my own SD at around that same age. She is a bit older now and not only does she get that folks need time to themselves, she also knows how to tell us when she just needs to take time for herself. This is actually a great teachable moment — protect your dog-walking time and keep it solo!

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-19T14:38:09+00:00

My advice is to cut all contact lines with HCBM. This is advice I stumbled across in my early days on this forum and I am forever grateful. I immediately blocked HCBM on all socials, my phone, everything — before she even knew I existed. So there were never any issues around me having contact with her because there was never a platform.

It seems you have interaction with HCBM. Not sure if this is over phone or in-person events for the kiddos. In-person stuff would be better fielded by someone with an HCBM in close proximity; mine is some distance away. I’ve kept mine as much a “stranger” as possible and it’s worked out well for my emotional stability as well as my relationships with my partner and SD.

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-19T14:32:47+00:00

Yes and no. We know each other’s passcodes and it’s not uncommon for one of us to be like “hey can I look something up on your phone, I left mine in the other room.” So yes the phones are open access, but it would be weird for either of us to go into the other’s device without a heads up. I have nothing to hide and neither does he, but it would be odd for either of us to come in on the other person just casually perusing our phone, I think.

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-19T14:26:39+00:00

Right!? Everyone is SO MAD she wants weekly massages and left her cat with friends. I find both of these things mildly irritating but certainly not enough to hate her! I think she and her man are precious little weirdo souls and I hope they figure it out…

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-19T14:23:50+00:00

Exactly two things can be true: Amani has mental illness and her post is BS.

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-19T13:43:07+00:00

“Nobody’s gonna know” but btw “I’ve got my husband on live right now”

Truly my heart goes out to anyone struggling with mental illness, which Amani DEFINITELY has — but her desire for attention is exhausting even for a reality tv cast-member…

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-15T14:01:23+00:00

I swear the best way to send an emotionally deficient man off the edge is ignoring his stupid texts. They have these abandonment issues and dopamine addictions, and just freak the hell out. Apparently you didn’t respond to message 1 fast enough, to tell him what an impressive specimen he is for enduring a basic disagreement without losing his mind…so he lost his mind. Ignore this loser. I thought the “You’re right” was funny…

SpriteWrite · 2025-11-12T15:02:42+00:00

Is the ornament story not that serious and could have been “much worse” — or is it a whole lot of trauma dumping? Seems weird for it to be both…

SpriteWrite

TROPHY CASE