After the talent show, we packed the kids in the car, popped in a DVD and headed an hour west to meet up with the BM (bio-mom) and step-dad, so the kids could attend their mom's cousin's wedding. When we got there, we met at the pre-determined drop-off location (Caribou Coffee, and step-dad came alone to gather the kids. To say he isn't the friendliest person would be a major understatement. I've never seen him smile, and have certainly never seen joy/excitement on his face when he sees the step-kids. It's hard to imagine living such a cold, emotionless life... but he makes it look easy. Sometimes it's fun to mess with him; this time, I waved excitedly and flashed a huge smile. When he failed to return my enthusiasm (or even acknowledge me), I mouthed - in a very obvious way - "come on! you can at least wave!" Still... no response. What a creeper.
So after leaving the kids with "Mr. Personality", Jesse and I headed to a local restaurant. We ordered a flight of wine and some pasta, and started our weekend. Then we went to pick up a few groceries and headed home to watch a movie and turn in for the night. I love Fridays, and the thought of a full weekend ahead of us!
On Saturday morning, the Momster emailed Jesse and let him know that plans changed and they would be dropping the kids off at our place "late" Saturday night, instead of Sunday morning, as initially planned. She didn't bother to ask if we would be around or if we had plans that would prevent us from being home Saturday night. For all she knew, we might have been out of town for an overnight stay. As it turns out, we did have plans for the night, and didn't end up getting home until just before midnight. The kids were dropped off at our house sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 that night, and called my cell phone to make sure we knew the plan had changed.
When we got home, my oldest step-son and my step-daughter were still awake, in the living room playing Rock Band. My step-daughter told us that her mom didn't talk to her during their time together on Friday and Saturday, and said her mom was "really mad" because she ended up deciding to participate in the talent show. So, the motherly thing to do (of course!) is to give your child the silent treatment. Sheesh! Sometimes that woman amazes me with her crazy behavior. In fact, my step-daughter was "ousted" from the family for the night, and there was no room for her at the table with the rest of her family during the wedding reception. She had to find a different table to sit at, and luckily, her maternal grandmother had an extra spot at her table.
I didn't want to sway my step-daughter's opinion when she was weighing her options and trying to decide whether or not to do the talent show. On one hand, even though the BM never told her she couldn't do the show, she certainly made it known that my step-daughter would be making the "wrong" choice if she decided to participate in the show. On the other hand, my step-daughter lives for things like this, and knew this was a one-time opportunity to perform in front of the entire school. She debated for a while, but ultimately decided to go against the BM's wishes and do the show.
After hearing how her mom "disowned" her for the weekend, I made sure my step-daughter knew she made the right decision. I encourage the kids to make waves and stand up for what they believe in, as long as they are willing to stand behind their decisions and articulate their reasoning. She did just that, and I was proud of her. Also, her mom will get over this and move on to the next thing very quickly, whereas my step-daughter would never forgive her mom if she weren't allowed to participate in the talent show.
For what it's worth, she ROCKED, and all the kids at school were congratulating her on the way out. There was one kid who had his mom stop the car as my step-daughter and I were crossing the street, just so he could tell her she did an amazing job.
TOTALLY WORTH IT!
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