what is up with my step daughter

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I could write a book on dealing with stepchild issues. My DH and I married when his DD was 5. We got custody of her when she was 9. You'd be surprised at how little some natural moms teach their kids.

Mine had a problem wiping her bottom when using the bathroom, flushing the toilet, and wearing clean underwear. She said she didn't have to wear underwear at all because her mother didn't....

When it came to dinnertime, she could shove down a meal in 5 seconds flat--even before we could get our first bites in. She made a mess with her food and didn't clean up behind herself.

She believed that when you saw police on the road that you were supposed to duck in the car. We later found that she was being left in a casino daycare instead of being sent to school.

Everything's okay now. It's been a long road, and we've had custody for 6 years. But trust me, wiping a mouth is a small issue, and you can't sweat the small issues when it comes to stepchildren. You don't want her to connect your conditional love on her clean face. I would approach it in a way that protects her feelings. Maybe you could offer her a great incentive when it comes to a clean face....something like offering to take her out to the makeup aisle in the store if she can keep her face clean without being asked for the next few trips to your house.

Good luck to you. I've been there, and I feel your pain!

 

[experiment626mom]

She is the last of my 3 stepkids and she's been the toughest. I guess I'll just keep the extra napkins handy and hope this is a phase!!

Thanks everyone for your imput and support, sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees!!!