Comments on: Dropping by to say http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/11/22/dropping-by-to-say/ writing, mothering, writing about mothering Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:49:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Jessy http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/11/22/dropping-by-to-say/#comment-2380 Jessy Thu, 24 Nov 2005 03:47:00 +0000 http://www.thiswomanswork.com/?p=808#comment-2380 PS: Dawn: that Raggedy Ann story broke my heart. That is just so wrong on many different levels. Making a child give up her beloved toys to a new baby .... that's a reciepe for resentment, half sibling or not. And then not even to give her back to you ... I'm stunned. PS: Dawn: that Raggedy Ann story broke my heart. That is just so wrong on many different levels. Making a child give up her beloved toys to a new baby …. that’s a reciepe for resentment, half sibling or not. And then not even to give her back to you … I’m stunned.

]]> By: Jessy http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/11/22/dropping-by-to-say/#comment-2379 Jessy Thu, 24 Nov 2005 03:44:56 +0000 http://www.thiswomanswork.com/?p=808#comment-2379 Dawn, and everyone - thanks for sharing these stories. It doesn't sound very encouraging, then ... for it seems the only way our kids would feel like true siblings to his other kids is if they lived with us full-time, and they don't. Maybe "niece" or "cousin" is the best I can hope for. Dawn, and everyone - thanks for sharing these stories. It doesn’t sound very encouraging, then … for it seems the only way our kids would feel like true siblings to his other kids is if they lived with us full-time, and they don’t. Maybe “niece” or “cousin” is the best I can hope for.

]]> By: Meagan http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/11/22/dropping-by-to-say/#comment-2378 Meagan Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:37:12 +0000 http://www.thiswomanswork.com/?p=808#comment-2378 I have a half-sister from my dad's third marriage. She's a few months younger than Jacob and feels like a niece to me, which is not to say I don't feel close to her, but it's not a sisterly closeness. She plays with my kids. I'm not jealous of the time she gets with my dad though he does let her get away with murder, and all my siblings and I laugh about how different her life is than ours was (she is very pampered and sheltered!) But, I do feel like his having another child so late in the game took away from the relationship he would have had with his grandkids--I don't think he really has much use for his grandkids now that he's got a young daughter of his own, which is sort of sad for them. I have a half-sister from my dad’s third marriage. She’s a few months younger than Jacob and feels like a niece to me, which is not to say I don’t feel close to her, but it’s not a sisterly closeness. She plays with my kids.

I’m not jealous of the time she gets with my dad though he does let her get away with murder, and all my siblings and I laugh about how different her life is than ours was (she is very pampered and sheltered!) But, I do feel like his having another child so late in the game took away from the relationship he would have had with his grandkids–I don’t think he really has much use for his grandkids now that he’s got a young daughter of his own, which is sort of sad for them.

]]> By: Kim http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/11/22/dropping-by-to-say/#comment-2377 Kim Wed, 23 Nov 2005 16:52:54 +0000 http://www.thiswomanswork.com/?p=808#comment-2377 I have a half-brother and two half-sisters from my father's 2nd and 3rd marriages, and a half-brother from my mother's second marriage. I've never spoken to the youngest two, who I suppose are teenagers now, and I briefly exchanged letters with the older one when she was in college. I think she's about 28 now. My mother's son, on the other hand, is my brother in every way. I'm 13 years older, but he grew up with me in the house as his sister. He lives with me now, as a matter of fact, because he wanted to go to school in NYC and couldn't afford to live here on his own. I can honestly say that I'm not jealous of my father's other kids for getting to spend more time with him than I did. In fact, I fear for them. He was sexually abusive with me on two occasions when I visited him, and so I'm grateful for not living with him. I often think of my two sisters and wonder if they suffered such abuse, but on a more regular basis. I do know that the older one got pregnant in her late teens, and he forced her into allowing friends of his to adopt the baby, even though she wasn't she wanted to do that. I sometimes wonder if he was the reason she ended up pregnant. I have a half-brother and two half-sisters from my father’s 2nd and 3rd marriages, and a half-brother from my mother’s second marriage. I’ve never spoken to the youngest two, who I suppose are teenagers now, and I briefly exchanged letters with the older one when she was in college. I think she’s about 28 now. My mother’s son, on the other hand, is my brother in every way. I’m 13 years older, but he grew up with me in the house as his sister. He lives with me now, as a matter of fact, because he wanted to go to school in NYC and couldn’t afford to live here on his own.

I can honestly say that I’m not jealous of my father’s other kids for getting to spend more time with him than I did. In fact, I fear for them. He was sexually abusive with me on two occasions when I visited him, and so I’m grateful for not living with him. I often think of my two sisters and wonder if they suffered such abuse, but on a more regular basis. I do know that the older one got pregnant in her late teens, and he forced her into allowing friends of his to adopt the baby, even though she wasn’t she wanted to do that. I sometimes wonder if he was the reason she ended up pregnant.

]]> By: Jackie http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2005/11/22/dropping-by-to-say/#comment-2376 Jackie Wed, 23 Nov 2005 15:43:58 +0000 http://www.thiswomanswork.com/?p=808#comment-2376 I'm often jealous of my younger half-brother for the same reason-- it hurts me even now to see how much more connected my dad is to his life-- it even hurts me sometimes to think that my dad's more connected to my daughters than he was to me at their age. It's one of those things I'm trying to overcome and work through, but sometimes it still stings. I’m often jealous of my younger half-brother for the same reason– it hurts me even now to see how much more connected my dad is to his life– it even hurts me sometimes to think that my dad’s more connected to my daughters than he was to me at their age. It’s one of those things I’m trying to overcome and work through, but sometimes it still stings.

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