Thoughts.com Blogs - The calm after the (FOTY) Storm

It's Tuesday, which means FOTY is coming .... hip hip hooray ....??? Nah not quite!

But you will be pleased to hear I did not make him dinner tonight. Which I normally do on Tuesday evenings.

And he rang the door bell BEFORE he let himself in (usually he just lets himself in) and he left without any arguments - mind you I think we spoke 10 words to each other for the whole 1hr 45mins he was here.

Earlier today he sent me an email, now I HATE getting emails from him.
For one he ALWAYS puts a "Return Receipt" on them, so he knows when I've read them and he uses them against me, like when I've decided on occassion not to reply immediately and to think about what I want to respond.

At least twice I've received 2nd emails shortly after opening his email, which include the return receipt (sneering at me!) and him saying "Are you ignoring me? Or are you just busy?"

So I know I either have to take myself off line to read the emails or not read them until I have 5 minutes spare.

The email today was questioning Miss 8's response about the kids going to a friends on Friday night. He wanted to know if she was telling him the truth! HOW RUDE! Miss 8 does NOT lie, she's got no reason to.

He also wanted to explain that he's "working" Saturday so wanted to have the kids Friday night instead. His plan to drop them back here by 9:30am!

But he said he won't push it - if they are REALLY going somewhere Friday night..... which happily we are REALLY doing.
It wasn't made up for his benefit!
I will not be teaching my children to do that!

Anyway back to tonight, when he arrived the three of us (Miss 8, Master 4 and I) were sitting on a beanbag in the lounge playing a PS2 game of HIT n RUN (Simpsons). He came in said hello, Miss 8 got up and gave him a hug (relief from me - I thought she'd run) and Master 4 threw a "Hi Dad" at him as he concentrated on the game mission at hand.

FOTY just sat there, it was a few minutes at least before I suggested to Miss 8 that she share her homework with her Dad. We'd been working on this prior to getting involved in the PS2 game.

Miss 8 proudly presented her work to him. Then came back and sat with me, leaving FOTY alone on the couch. So another few minutes go by, I'm sensing it's my queue to exit.....so off I go to the Study.

FOTY convinces Miss 8 to go outside and play downball with him. Master 4 didn't want to and continues playing the game.

** Incidentally Miss 8 who I'd told early that I wasn't making her Dad tea anymore, whispers to me as she's heading outside that FOTY had asks her if we'd already had dinner - to which she'd answers Yes. I ask her to offer her Dad a drink, which he declines.

They play outside for awhile, then come in and play Nintendo DS together - meanwhile Master 4 is still playing alone.... so I sit with him.

FOTY gets the bedtime routine going (30 mins earlier than usual - he's obviously hungry and wants to go home!)

As FOTY is leaving - he tells me he didn't push the sleep-over with the kids because they wanted to go to their friends house.

After he's gone I go check on the children, and Miss 8 tells me that FOTY asked again if they wanted to sleep over at his play Friday (after telling me he didn't ask!) ANd then when they said No, he tells them that they WILL HAVE TO eventually sleep at his house. Miss 8 questions this, asking why if she didn't want to do that would she HAVE to do it - to which he answered "Because sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do!"

I told her that was NOT the case..... and she didn't have to do that if she didn't feel comfortable!

He's obviously going to try to manipulate the children, so sad that he could've avoided all this by working WITH me not Against me.

Oh and we won't see him Saturday now - cause he's "working!" (or is he) and strangely enough he didn't offer to have them Sunday or Monday (the public holiday) .... probably because they are going away to his Dad's beach house! *Pure speculation on my part*

Now I don't feel so bad about not making him tea (I know I'm tragic!) - so I hope he enjoys McDonalds or KFC on the way home - cause I'm sure it's too late notice for JS to cook her fiancee dinner!

And for me YEAH another FOTY free week-end ... for my kids their Dad has let them down again.

And I thought about this - if they stayed over on Friday night - he would pick them up around 6:30pm ... they go to bed by 8:30pm and then he'd have to get them up by 8am to have them eaten breakfast, dressed etc and then home here by 9:30am.
So what would be the point really?? Maybe 3 hours worth of play, and the one and only time they slept at his place they got scared and wanted to sleep in his bed.....

So Confusicious says - If Man go to bed with itchy bum, he wake up with smelly finger!" .... thanks HWG!!!!!