[mom2more]

I might scream!

"I hate it here...my dad's house is so much better". From my teen son.

OF course his dad's house is so much better. There is no homework over there. There is no bedtime. There are no responsibilities. There are no chores. There is nothing he has to do.

He can watch R rated movies and play video games till the sun comes up. He can drink unlimited soda. He can eat whatever junk food is in the house. He never gets in trouble because there is nothing for him to get in trouble for!

How do I compete with that?

[Admin-Rachel]

You can't and you shouldn't try. We get the same thing here because of the same reasons. We don't let them run wild so mom's house seems better because she does.

Just know that it's pretty normal for kids to say that because they live in the moment, kwim? ((hugs))

Our attorney told me this, which really helped: if he can't make it with you, he's not going to make it there either. It's all fun & games on the weekends, but if he were there for real time, he'd have the same problems. The problems aren't related to where he lives, but who he is.

[ShesaDreamer]

We get that all the time too. Even now that she just lives with her friends we still get it.

You're teaching him how to be a functioning human being. He will thank you someday. In the meantime, you don't have to compete. You love him and you're doing what you think is right by him.

Print this out and tape it to your fridge.

[Stepmom2Be]

Hugs.

O does this sometimes too. We have more means to do more and go more with him, so it isnt as often. But sometimes he does complain that he wishes there were no rules here like at his moms house.

But then I watch the way he talks to her and how he walks all over her, and I am glad that we have rules, because we are teaching him respect, not manipulation.