Shangri-La vs Reality

After a tumultuous week with the family followed by a houseful of weekend guests, I couldn't wait to get away escape for a few days to The Big Apple.  I have many happy places here at home but New York City is a place that can always make me forget the realities of home.   So many people living such different lives and for a stepmom moment, I was able to pretend I was one of them.  One morning, I parked myself on the St. Patrick's Cathedral steps with a Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice in hand and just watched the street traffic.  I walked thru Central Park, paid tribute to Lady Liberty and all the heroes of 9/11. I took advantage of a foot rub in Chinatown and dined in Little Italy.  It was wonderful and so refreshing. 

I'm baaaack!  

This was the text message I sent to my youngest son when I returned home last night.  I met my husband for a quick dinner to reconnect from our dumb fight before I left escaped and to rattle all of my adventures and of course, to hear how he did holding down the fort here at home.  Let's just say I had a better time than he did.  HA!  I can't say I don't love to see him sweat and hearing him acknowledge how much I really do, wasn't bad either.  

I have to put the disclaimer that I love my husband more than anything out there before I say the following....he's a softie, doesn't want to have to be the bad guy and our kids use this to their fullest advantage.  The kids, down to the dog, don't respect him because he's a marshmallow. This is just one of the many, many, many parenting style differences that we have been forced to work thru over the last decade.   My hubby is a great father with the best intentions but he never wants to be the bad guy. Don't worry sweetie, the enforcer is home again.  

I spoke to my 17 yo SD last week before I left to let her know that she need not try to take advantage of her father while I was away.  She had kitchen duty this week and since no one was here to tell her to do it and she knows her father wasn't going to say anything about it, she didn't do it.  Since she ran away last year and just returned to us a few months ago, things haven't been the same and we are struggling as she works to regain the trust that was lost.  To me, it's not about the kitchen chore but more so, the fact that she knew she was to do this each night but since she saw away around it, she took advantage of it.  The entire reason she ran away before was because we were enforcing rules with her.  I have to constantly battle myself to continue enforcing the rules with her exactly the same way I would do with my other children.  This battle awaits...

Welcome home!