Had a child. Now a single parent to that child.
this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2025
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This is a great topic thanks! Something I was always agreeable to was a partner that was a project, that needed help with their MH. What i learned was there's a million miles between "here's my issues, here's what I do about them" and someone who doesn't acknowledge that. So it was a would to an absolute no under any circumstances because the relationship was a disaster, I was horribly hurt and long term I made no impact on them.
I was a "never" about people with kids when I was younger cos I've no clue with them. That definitely changed because I really saw my role would never, ever be parent to the child... step parent is different, you're not there to raise someone's kid for them. That wouldn't be respectful. I'm embarrassed I was so rigid on it when I was younger!
Step parenting depends so heavily on the situation - my step kids bio mom was such a piece of work they did and do come to me for more of the mom stuff, though they were teens when we got together so it wasn't little kid parenting, more like college and financial and relationship advice. And my ex was off the rails and on the booze for most of my younger kids life so husband was more of a dad to them, though they call him by his name. One of my good friends yelled at me when I said "husband's kids" he says no way, you have to love them & parent all equally it is not his or yours they are y'all's.
So I agree in the situations where the other parent is competent & involved, be a friend not a parent, always talk up the other parent like they are awesome and always defer parenting decisions to them. But that is not a universal rule by any stretch. Sometimes the step parent is the best parent.
That whole project partner thing can be overwhelming and sometimes even damaging or traumatic. I'm glad you were able to set up some healthy boundaries for yourself.
I feel like even the step parent role can be a challenging one for younger people. It still takes a lot of patience and grace, but definitely often distinct from a primary parent/guardian role. Thank you for sharing how your views have evolved on that!
My partner advertised herself as being more of a nature girl than she actually was. She told me later that she was just trying to impress me. While that was disappointing at first, there's so many things we have in common that it wasn't an issue. And it's honestly better now because we take things at her pace and she has a better time, like for instance, we spend an hour at a nature trail and then go to brunch as opposed to a multi-day camping trip. It's very nice.
Me feeling like I needed whoever I'm with to go camping with me is something I realized I could let go, just like OP said, because I can find other people in my life to do those things with. I think sometimes we come out stronger by letting go of our expectations.
I will garden & do plenty of homestead-ey stuff, appreciate the natural world so much but camping, that is a hard no. Hiking is nice, the beach, the springs, the forest. Not sleeping outside voluntarily, had quite enough of that involuntarily.
That's sweet she was trying to impress you, but a bummer it was just talk. Glad it worked out well in the end. I also really like camping and my partner does not. I actually prefer going solo because for me it's about being able to blend into nature and be free from constraints which even a partner can add. We also do short hikes and such together and it's been a really nice compromise. Really love your line "sometimes we come out stronger by letting go of our expectations." Thank you for sharing your experience!