I was supposed to be taking the day off from blogging yesterday to spend the day sewing. Couldn't do it. I ended up with 2 blog posts.
This short video will only be shown here. While passing through the studio, I could see that somethiing had upset Melanie. So I got out the camera and started shooting. This is what came to light.
This short video will only be shown here. While passing through the studio, I could see that somethiing had upset Melanie. So I got out the camera and started shooting. This is what came to light.
Damn that was good but, men do this all the time! I'm not saying all men but, when someone moves on and bring their children around the new person you should always give them a heads up! I mean did Roderick tell Nicole that someone was coming on their camping trip! I and my father were trying to build a relationship and every time I went to talk to him someone else was always there! You have to always prepare your children before they meet someone, Danielle kids already meet Roderick at the beach house so they are use to seeing him. Nicole seems to be fine but she still need that time and understanding. I hope you all understand me and I don't believe I had so much to say on a doll video, I think mainly because Melanie acted so poorly although I understand where she is coming from!
ReplyDeleteSimply, THE BEST!!!! You REALLY brought the drama on this one, and the music was perfect.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say, Melanie...I guess you don't know a good thing 'til it's gone. If I remember correctly, the very first beach house episode when Tony & Rod were packing up the car, Rod was still feeling a little sad about the divorce. So, that Melanie really lost a good one.
Wow, this was a real treat Vanessa, thank you for posting this one!!
Can NOT wait to see more. :)
EbonyNicole30 - Did you see the video with Rod and Danielle having dinner? If you didn't, I think it's important to see that one. This is where it is clear that Rod is concerned about his daughter seeing him in Danielle's presence without her meeting Danielle first. Since Nicole wanted to go to the dance, he thought it was important to introduce them before the dance. Nicole is very well aware that the whole reason they are at the cabin is for her to meet Danielle and the boys. There were 2 conversations that happened long before anyone got to the cabin. One with Rod and his daughter about Danielle, and one with Danielle and the boys. Even though they had seen Rod before, once Danielle made the decision to see more of Rod (this is made clear in their dinner video), she sat the boys down and told them that they would be seeing a little more of Rod. I considered shooting both of these conversations as photostories, but decided I didn't want to rebuild Danielle's home and build a setting for Rod and Nicole's conversation. But trust me, both conversations took place. The other thing you guys didn't see was how excited Nicole was about her day and she innocently shared that with her mom. Rod and Melanie have been separated and divorced for over 18months. In that time, Rod has not introduced Nicole to anyone. Melanie is very well aware of that and this is why she acted so poorly. She does realize that if he is introducing her to a woman, that he must be serious about this woman. She is just taken aback. I don't think she expected the meeting to go that way, but it just happened. There are plenty of deadbeat, bad fathers out there, but Rod is not one of them. The other thing that I intended to bring out in this video is that while Melanie was working towards partnership in her firm, Rod was the one being the primary parent. He loves his daughter and he was trying to support his wife. I didn't want to make this a long video, so I skipped that part.
ReplyDeleteOn a personal note, I was married to a guy with 5 full time kids (1 mother) and long after my divorce, I seriously dated a guy for 2 yrs, who had 2 kids full time (1 mom). I have lots of experience with good dads like Rod. I have experienced some incredible drama. Not with the mother of my husbands kids, but definitely with the mother of my ex-boyfriend. She would threaten her daughter every time she felt the daughter was being friendly to me. I backed off the daughter a little bit, to keep her mom from making her feel guilty. I later learned that the daughter felt like I was neglecting her because of this. It was a no win situation. It was such craziness. I even tried to get around the craziness by insisting on a meeting with the mom prior to getting too involved with her kids. The meeting seemed to go really well. Things were fine for a little while, but that jealousy monster got the best of her. Amazingly enough, she and I are good friends today. She admitted that she was so jealous and afraid that I was a better mother figure. Whew, I am so glad that part of my life is over. Today anytime she introduces me to her friends or family she says "This is the woman that should be Tyler's stepmom". Mind you, I am not dating her ex anymore. That is why my fashion doll son is named Tyler. He is still the love of my life.
Tracy - I can do drama when it comes to ex's. Ex-wives, ex-girlfiends, etc. I have always tried to live a drama free life, and even I have had my fair share of drama when it comes to other people's kids. Rod still loved
ReplyDeleteMelanie. Who can blame him. She is beautiful and she's got it going on. I am sure he still loves her, because that love doesn't just disappear, but Danielle is the first lady that excites him and that he can see himself sharing his life with. She, too is beautiful, a go getter, who is also a great mom. Melanie knows that Roderick is a great dad. This has just thrown her for a loop.
Would you believe that the music is the very last thing that is done. I edit the video then add the dialogue. Then I create the movie, before adding any music. Then I add the music. On this video the highs and lows of the music are so perfect you would think that I created the movie to fit the music. I didn't, but I love when it works out so perfectly.
There are so many good men out there who couldn't make things work with their children's mother(s), you have touched a really important issue. If you're still dating after a certain age, most likely the people you date will have children from previous relationships -- or you have children from previous relationships yourself. Negotiating those relationships is very sensitive. Meanwhile many young people and adults have had to cope with the ramifications of their parents' dating and with adjusting to step brothers and sisters. You have a really good story thread going here. I can't wait to see what happens when Melanie encounters Danielle at the daddy-daughter dance.
ReplyDeletelimbe dolls - OH NO! Melanie will not be at the dance. That dance is going to be more than I can handle without that drama. Melanie never had any intention on going to that dance. She did her part, she bought the dress. She has always left those types of things to Rod. She is working on a number of big cases and she has to stay focused.
ReplyDeleteThis storyline is near and dear to my heart, because it is so close to my own personal story as a stepmom, and as one who seems to attract full time dads. I love kids so much that I think I secretly look for these guys. Not to mention they all seem to cook really well. It's all that practice.
I opted to make this video a blog exclusive, which means only the people that read the blog can see the video. I felt this video out there without the benefit of the back story, that is clearer for the blog followers, could cause an uproar. Boy am I glad I made that decision. I can imagine the comments I would get if it was public on YouTube. LOL! I realize even now that the back story isn't as clear as I thought. Hopefully, my detailed comments will make it a little clearer. The 'good dad' story is rarely told. I am telling this story through Rod. I imagine somewhere down the line there will be a bad dad, but I like showing the young ladies, who see my videos and read my blog what a real man looks like. They know what the thugs look like. They know what the deadbeat dads look like. They see that every day on TV. Do they know what a good dad looks like? Do they know what a gentleman is?
ReplyDeleteLOL! Nicole is trippin'!
ReplyDeleteLoved the theme music!
dbg
Oops... got my characters mixed up... I meant Melanie is trippin'!
ReplyDeletedbg
DBG - I do that all the time. I have to read and reread all my stories countless times to make sure I have the characters straight. I was calling Melanie, Danielle when I put this video together. I didn't catch it till the last moment before posting it.
ReplyDeleteMelanie's behavior is pretty typical. Before I got married, a close family member, felt I shouldn't marry my husband because having 5 step kids would take away from my ability to do more for my niece, who lived 5 states away. You want me to forego marrying the man I love, so I can do more for my niece? Huh? That's not my child! My niece had two parents, and two grandparents, and enough spoiling to last a lifetime. People get crazy when someone else's kids are in the picture.
Vanessa: I never said Rod was a deadbeat dad and I know he really loves Nicole because that is his baby! I do remember him and Danielle having a talk about meeting Nicole! I do need to go back and watch the video of the camping trip later when I have the time.
ReplyDeleteMelanie acted poorly and I think that is due to still having love for Rod. She made her choice and he is not going to sit there and wait for her!
I do think Melanie was worried about Nicole but, Melanie may not be over Rod like we thought!
The reason why I went so hard before because I grew up with both of my parents not together but were with other people. I'm 30 years old now but, those feelings still hurt me not seeing my parents living in the same household!
EbonyNicole - I loved your first response. I could tell there was something personal there in your answer. Melanie is like every good mom who is concerned because she doesn't know the person and moms are very protective. But she also knows that Rod is not one to fool around with a lot of women. So for even those 18 mos of them being apart, she knew she still had a hold on him, and could probably get him back if she wanted to. But he just doesn't fit into her new lifestyle. But knowing that there is another woman in the picture just puts a little more finality on the situation.
ReplyDeleteDivorce is hard on everyone. So sorry to hear about your parents. My parents were just the opposite. They stayed together but they were both miserable and in turn they made us miserable. My dad lived in the house until I was about 21ish. I moved out at 18. And in 18 yrs of living with both parents, I never saw them have a conversation and I can count on one hand the number of times I had a conversation with my dad. When he moved out and my mom got a boyfriend some years after that, she was a new person. I was so happy to see her happy and being loving. My parents bad relationship affected all 3 kids negatively. My youngest brother is the only one married and there is only one child between the 3 of us. When you don't see loving parents, and your parents aren't loving to you, it's hard to be loving to others. My ex husband gave me the silent treatment for awhile while we were married, and I immediately wanted out because all I could think of was my parents. Within 6 months of that happening, I had filed for divorce. I guess I could have handled that better. LOL. But our pasts are so deeply rooted in us and still affects us as adults. So I do understand.
This one blog post could be a book. There is a deeper issue that I hope to explore through Melanie. Is Melanie concerned about Nicole? Yes. Is she sad that Rod is moving on? Yes. But the deeper issue is her as a mother. Being a die hard career woman, she has questioned how good a mom she really is. In her mind she is a good mom, but she is not that cookie baking, go to all my daughter performances, dedicate my life to my daughter kind of mom. So she is curious what kind of person Danielle is. Does she bake her kids cookies? Is she a stay-st-home mom? Nicole has only known that life of a having a mom that works hard. Nicole knows that dad cooks and mom, not so much. It is normal for Nicole to see the dynamics between her mom and dad. So Melanie is thinking long term. She wonders how Nicole will react to seeing a different dynamic, if indeed Danielle is that type of mom. I think my doll world may need a family counselor soon. I better put one on retainer, just in case.
ReplyDeleteI hear you Vanessa, I tried to live a drama free life too. Whenever I saw it coming, I would just leave a situation because I'm not a confrontational person. But then I hit 35yrs old and I let some nonsense in my life that made up for all the drama I escaped from high school, the twenty something drama, and most of my thirties. I mean, I got set up and beat down in the middle of a street in broad daylight, behind a guy who had lied to me about being single. It was crazy. LOL
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you've inspired me to go through some of my experiences to help create more stories. This is such a great creative outlet, again...I'm glad to be among fellow collectors with incredible creative minds. :)
Tracy - That is crazy! Sometimes before you know it, you are in the middle of it wondering how the hell did this happen? The 40s have been so liberating. It is so much easier to spot the BS and get rid of it immediately.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking you story needed a counselor when I read that you were thinking of adding one. But Rod seems to be the kinda Dad that can handle this himself...at least with his daughter. Family...what can you say. Great video and music.
ReplyDeleteMs. Leo - I think Nicole will be fine as long as the adults keep themselves in check. I'm putting that counselor on retainer for Melanie in the event Roderick and Danielle ever get married, or if Nicole starts spending any time with Danielle and the boys. Could send Melanie over the edge.
ReplyDelete