Ugh, your post is so upsetting! I don't think I could have took all the baiting going on all day like that. Plus it was your party that your MIL chose to crash & act up at. But, that's not the real issue. I've followed your life story on the other board. I feel so bad that this is happening to you when it seems your were pretty much expected to parent SD and deal with all the tough stuff and get not even basic respect in return. It seems like it is just not worth it. It's too hard in situations like this. If your DH won't nix his dear mothers nasty behaviors & insist she treat you with respect, you're stuck with her & her reign of terror. I know how awful that can be. I wondered how things would have went down if you insisted she leave your home/the party. Try confronting her on her nastiness every time to her face no matter who is there and see what happens. Bullies hate to be confronted. Bleh.. I'm so sorry. ~Cat

I can only imagine what you're feeling, but I'd urge you to think things through very carefully before taking any dramatic and rash steps. Imagine your husband consents and you win custody of your son. You already know your husband doesn't love him and doesn't want him in your lives. How will he treat your son? Will that really be better for your son? And at what cost to you? What will day-to-day life be like? And will you have to walk on eggshells to buffer your husband from your son? If your son doesn't really want to move, what will happen if he misbehaves on purpose? If your ex decides to cause turmoil for you all? If your ex starts with the mind games? Imagine your husband consents and the custody battle drags on for months and months (like most do), increasing the stress level in your home, draining "his money" (I put that in quotes because I imagine that's how he will see it) and taking your time and energy away from meeting his needs? Imagine his relief if you lose, and your resentment of his relief. Now imagine your husband refuses your request. You say you have packed, but are you really ready to walk out dramatically? You have money? A job? A place to live? What about your daughter? Will she be better off if you leave? How's your marriage otherwise? And will your son be any better off if you leave? How? Will you even be able to get custody of him without your husband's financial resources? A second divorce won't look very attractive to a family court judge. If he's still only visiting you, will he now be visiting you in a crappy apartment no better than his dad's? Have you taken a close look at your children's behaviors? Many stepparents on this forum report that one or all of the stepkids are spoiled brats, treat them with disrespect, ignore them, etc. How does your son behave? And is there anything in his behavior that could cause or contribute to your husband's indifference? And does your son want to live with you now? Enough to change some behaviors? I'm certainly not recommending you do nothing --- only that you do nothing in haste. Drama is good for daydreams, but for real life, it's traumatic and destructive. Walking out could mean ending your marriage, and it's unlikely to get you what you want --

I am not a tax consultant, but I would think that if you had the child for 9 months last year, you should be able to claim him on your taxes. Mom must have claimed him on last years taxes in order to get the child tax credit. My Ex and I each claim 1 of the boys each year. When my oldest turns 18, I will claim the youngest every other year. I also agree wtih lazygardens, you need to contact a professional about this. Good Luck

Faron - I start my Stihl on the floor by sliding my foot through the handle to help keep it steady. However I'm unable to start our generator - the pull cord is too high up and I can't get enough torque - I'd need a stepladder. My profession was dominated by women and I can readily say that I never faced discrimination at work. Of course like most women I've encountered my share of men making crude comments and insinuations and as a young woman was never taken seriously when I took my car in for repair. And there were a few alarming situations where I seriously worried about my safety. When DD was growing up I tried to set an example for her, I felt it was important for her to see me as a capable woman. I wanted her to be strong and independent . When she graduated from college we went to buy her first car. I had already locked in the price online and brought a copy of the sales agreement. However the salesman kept saying that certain items were omitted and he wanted to re-write the agreement and came back with a higher price. I walked out of the dealership. DD was crushed because she thought she wasn't going to get her car. The salesman came running after us and we did get the car - at the original price. It's a story she vividly remembers. However she is now working in a male dominated job and is facing discrimination, ridicule and even career sabotage. There is no HR department, she has to take these issues to her boss - who frequently says that she's whining and then later approaches her when she's alone and rubs her back and says he's sorry. The only other females at her work place are doing clerical or administrative work and are off premises. She's the only woman working on the job with 6 to 8 men. It has become a toxic work environment and she has consulted with an attorney as to how to proceed. I'm proud of her for taking the initiative to get legal advice but she's so disillusioned and stressed that she's also looking for another job.