Mush so nice to see you and your Mom. I have been wondering about you both....She really does not look her age and I see you in her..... Give her a big hug for me I bet she has lots of friends at the N/H!!!!!! hugs for you Imabest

I know SD is on the extreme end of "normal"... with regards to the vomiting and attention "getting" technics. But with reading some of your posts seems she might of dipped into abnormal because she does most of the tactics some of you have described. Sweeby ... I am leaning toward your reasoning for attention because in my SM vision it makes sense ... mom has a new BF well bf of 6 months and in the last 9 months she has had some changes visitation change, mom not working, the BF, worries less about mom being alone because mom has the bf, but still worries about mom's bills, because she has to pay daddy(this from the children), Yesterday, I got home from work she was sitting on the couch coloring watching tv very content. Said a few off comments to hubby ... about money .... mommy doesn't have any, its not fair she has to pay you, she shouldn't have to get money from BF to pay you, how come when you need money you always take my moms, (she was with mom for 2 days) mom doesn't have any money she needs to buy groceries, hubby's comments back were basically ... you shouldn't be worried about money, mommy always figures out what to do, I don't have any money either I have to buy groceries and pay bills but you have everything you need... she says I need a new pair of shoes nothing matches my dress. ::shaking head::... I asked her how many pairs of shoes do you have ?? the boys said she has more than most women!!! EEKS I say ... maybe if your parents didn't buy you so many pairs shoes they would have some money. So now its 7:45 and SD starts with a belly ache hubby asks whats going on? she starts bawling... I need to talk to my mom its almost bedtime and I haven't talked to her all day!!!! hubby said you don't need to cry just ask if you can call your mom. She said Can I call my mom? he said sure here's the phone ... 20 minutes later she hands him the phone and heads to bed "night daddy". ::shaking my head again:: IMA ... All my SC do that if I make them "go outside" like I am punishing them ... you might think I was sending them to their rooms ... the way they act, I get home from work and say "its too nice to be inside go out and play" omg they hate me, I am so mean, its too hot out, the list goes on ... I did this april vacation week "made" them go outside and play till lunch time was awful acted like I was pulling out their eyes ... the next day it was pouring out the boys were out playing in the rain and mud.... ::shaking head:: They have gotten into the habit of saying, Can I go to joe schmoes house no I won't be inside we are going to be outside .... ok you can go... Rule: If you are just going to sit in the house you might as well stay home... :)

Colleen summed it up. My dear nephews did the same thing. Their mom wasn't a nurturer, doesn't have a maternal bone in her body, and I had them every evening after work and all weekends long though they did sleep at her home except for weekends. She rarely heard them call me anything as they were always at my place, but one Christmas, the youngest made me go inside to her parents' home where she was. He said, "Mommy, look at this!" w/ exuberance over a little car she had bought him (she never did very much for the boys so when she bought them anything, it was a big deal to them.) Anyway, the next day, he looked down and sadly said, "Mommy, my 'nother mother' told me I could never call you 'Mommy' again. Is that OK?" I said, "Honey, I'll always be your 'Aunt Mommy'and I'm your Godmother, but your 'nother mother' had her feelings hurt and that's all. You can call me 'Aunt Dana' or just 'Dana'." He was relieved, slipped a few times afterwards, etc. It was sad, but I don't hold it against her. She was jealous, etc. The BM in your case is just a little pathetic w/ her inability to get it together. Hearing them refer to you as "mom" was a blatant reminder of just how unavailable she has been to the children. It's very sad. Anyway, I fully understand your frustration, but please ignore it and don't ask the kids about it, etc. I bet they go back to calling you mom when they return. If not, it's because she has put a guilt trip on them and again, as hard as it may be, just go w/ it. The poor kids willingly called you "mom" because there's a lot more to being a "mom" than giving birth. Most women can be a mother, but not everyone earns the title of 'mom.' They figured that out on their own so rest assured that they know on some level your level of commitment to them. The kids are conflicted. Their grandparents might even have had a talk w/ them. What ever happened w/ the plane and dates? D

Thanks, bragu! Not sure what you mean by "fwiw" or "change the culture." They are in the exact environment but in better, faster draining medium and are fertilized weekly. They were pruned in May and turned into 5 separate caudex-less plants. The original two terminal tips flowered once in late May/June. Nothing happened all summer. All just branched & leafed out. Now all branches are budding and it appears all the tiny little buds will abort. Is this a matter of auxin deficiency? Perhaps due to seasonal changes? If so, what's the remedy? It's interesting that all 5 plants budded & aborted together even though they've been separated. I expected them all to have fully bloomed at least once by now. I plan to unearth them in March to check how the roots are developing, repot, then feed them with a bloom booster. I'd appreciate any further observations & recommendations. I'll post pics of the root system on the main rooted cutting so we can compare against the March 2016 photo above.