Cary's odd incest tabu hocus pocus aside, the problem is that you don't love the kids. You find them an annoyance and kids--almost without exception--do not like people who do not like them.

I get that they are not very likable. I have a 14 year old son and a non-domestic partner who is not his father. And frankly, if you write all my son's acts and words down on paper they don't come across all that wonderfully. But part of living with someone is that there is nuance. There are tiny moments that make the rest of it all worthwhile. You are not getting these moments as things stand now.

You are looking for someone to tell you that its alright to ignore these children. It's not. Whether its having dinner together with your husband, playing Monopoly, or being available to give rides and bake cookies, you must have some level of interaction with the kids. Don't push or overdo, but never ignore. You yourself said that they at some point said you should live with their father. They believe that you are rejecting them, and lots of happy talk about a baby only confirms this. Why on earth should they like you? When is the last time you said you were proud of either of them? When was the last time you laughed together?

Much of what these kids have said about you, their "inheritance" etc. seems to have come through the grape vine--presumably from your husband. Tell him you don't want to hear it, that it is easier to maintain positive feelings about the kids if you don't hear it. Tell him to tell a therapist. And you should find a therapist too. Particularly someone who knows kids. Someone to coach you through your interactions with them and lend insight. It's sort of a different use of therapist and iminently worthwhile.

There seems to be an assumption that the Palin staffer who put Palin on the phone with "Nicolas Sarkozy" was merely hapless. Why? Seriously, in a campaign rife with backstabbing and finger pointing, a brief consideration of other scenarios is in order. Do we know anything about the staffer? When was this person brought on? Back when they thought they were working for Straight Talk McCain? How has this person been treated by Palin? Did the staffer go to high school with Palin? Was the staffer, possibly, horrified by Palin? How many hours has this person spent taking calls from Todd, Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Todd's friends, Track's friends, Bristol's friends, Willow's friends, Piper's friends, etc.? How many times did the staffer have to tell Palin not to give out the super private number? How many times was the staffer ignored or dismissed when offering sensible help?

There are scenarios other than mere incompetence.

There seems to be an assumption that the Palin staffer who put Palin on the phone with "Nicolas Sarkozy" was merely hapless. Why? Seriously, in a campaign rife with backstabbing and finger pointing, a brief consideration of other scenarios is in order. Do we know anything about the staffer? When was this person brought on? Back when they thought they were working for Straight Talk McCain? How has this person been treated by Palin? Did the staffer go to high school with Palin? Was the staffer, possibly, horrified by Palin? How many hours has this person spent taking calls from Todd, Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Todd's friends, Track's friends, Bristol's friends, Willow's friends, Piper's friends, etc.? How many times did the staffer have to tell Palin not to give out the super private number? How many times was the staffer ignored or dismissed when offering sensible help?

There are scenarios other than mere incompetence.