The journey begins - purchased a truck.

Oh YES HE DID!

 

My baby making window came and went, when I didn't care for the idea. Could have adopted but didn't. It's not my blood grandson, but I think I can warm up to the idea. Problem is they're 6 hours away, and the mama has been a little 'problematic' with granting access thus far.

They adopted a little girl from her family member , out of the hospital, almost 5 years ago - and we've seen her 3 times. I know it bothers Gretchen.

 

Gretchen is way smarter than me in this respect, and very clever at how she handles situations. All I learned is that the 25-40 year old age group these days DOES NOT like open communication, confrontation when needed, or conflict resolution. If you hurt their feelings they'll resort to using anything up to and including - their own children as pawns in a game of chess they have little experience in playing.

The grandsons' mama flat out told her "Don't want you around, don't call, blocking you etc etc" when challenged about her actively isolating Gretchens' son and adopted grandchild at the time from any communication. Gretchen played the correct hand (biblically, strangely enough) of "When the son marries, he becomes one with wife" - because there's no solution to commanded her son to choose between mother and wife. And things calmed down.

We were supposed to be up there for the birth - (kind of irrelevant to me) - but the "Oh, we've got the COVID" got played a week before the birth - i.e. "We don't want you here for that".

We'll be up there in a few days I think - and have both discussed the next issue, which I'm on board with - Gretchen with her 'spidey senses' thinks they're going to ask us to take the adopted daughter with us for a while. I was initially against the idea - the little girl needs to bond with her new brother - but the narcissist mother is going to be 'overwhelmed' with her first natural born child.

Sounds to me like "Oh - here's our new baby, can you take care of this other problem we adopted?"

Darned humans.

 

It could be worse.

An older friend at the time (17 years ago) told me, marrying a woman with 2 sons - I'd always be a solid Number 3. He was right.

Not in the respect that I would be third on the list - she defends me vehemently, always has. But those 2 kids have always circumvented me, for anything and everything. Every red cent in the last 10 years has come from my labor, not once do they call me to ask anything, mama is the easier route.

I'm a spectator most of the time.

 

I appreciate that. There’s been a lot of you fellas on here, some I have a personal relationship with, that have offered solid advice from experience.

It’s a fun ride.