Men are not the only

  Whether you are a custodial parent, a non-custodial parent, a first wife, a second wife, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, ask yourself if you're behaving in the best interest of the child.    

12/13/03 Ss is the only national merit semifinalist from his school. If he reaches finalist status, and odds are he will, he's been offered $73,000 scholarship out of state. We're in the process of getting his scholarship folder prepared for his high school to help him apply for other smaller scholarships. His mom has squired away 3 awards over the years. She sent ss black and white copies. She's now learned that I have to reduce the awards to have them all fit on the 6 pages allowed in the folder, and make color copies, and ss asked her for color copies. She says she "might" do it this week.

For a couple of months bm would demand to talk to dh from ss's phone, and demand an eye appointment. We didn't feel the need for one. We weren't told ss had a complaint about his eyes. A couple of days ago, now that bm can't call us, ss was attempting his mother's control/manipulation and intrusion. He demanded an eye exam. We pointed out that all this time dh paid all uncovered meds, that now there's not a court order, that since the immediate eye exam is important to bm she can pay for it. Ss talks to bm, then again tries to demand we pay for it. He exclaims he lives here, he wants the exam, it's only $60 thus we MUST pay for it. No. I hear him complaining to his mother.

I ask ss, "Is she sending the color copies?" He said again, "She might." I said, "What does might mean?" She says it's not due for a couple of weeks so she's in no hurry.

Meanwhile we frequent a local diner who's agreed to give ss a $300 scholarship, and they are wanting the application this next week. We have a robotics meet (ss is extremely willing, cooperative, and wonderfully capable this year - he's come to realize how great robotics looks on his record) and ss joins us at the diner to meet the woman giving him the scholarship, where the woman again reiterates that she wants the application next week. We reassure her we will.

I'd already told ss that if his mom doesn't send the color copies, we'll include the awards she has in her possession as black and white.

Concerned Stepmom