For the past thirteen years I had been raising my wife’s son from my first marriage on an equal footing with my own daughter. My daughter was more like me, both in character and in purpose, and we have some views on life in common, but my son is an exact copy of his mother. Everything is always enough for him.
For example, I always ask my children what they would like for their birthday, or what present they would like to find under the tree. My daughter always prepares a list to make it easier for me to choose, but my son says he would be happy with any gift and he generally doesn’t care. When friends call my daughter out and I ask if I can give her cash, she never says no and my son says he has it. He won’t even take an extra penny from me for a trip, saying that he has enough. I know that he is lying to me and that he would like more, because later he may turn to his mother for financial help, but never to me.
We’ve lived together for so many years and he’s still ashamed to ask me for anything? I raised him as my own, but he is ashamed of me and hides behind his mother’s skirt. Even though he has no other father, since his ex-husband does not keep in touch with them, the child is still a stranger to me.
With him being sixteen and enrollment looming, the whole family has been discussing his enrollment options. He is sure that he will get in on a budget, and I ask him not to reject the possibility of a contract. I offer to pay for it, but my son says he doesn’t need it. He will get in on his own, or he will think of something.
Such arrogance and unwillingness to cooperate with me as a parent is very offensive. Since he is so independent, in that case, let him provide for himself. If he does not want to take my money, don’t.
My wife reacted ambiguously to my words about this, she thinks I am being childish. And I think that my son is acting too mature. So how else can I fight him?
