Although I genuinely like my partner, I absolutely detest her child. I'm not sure how to handle that

Kindly any advice will be highly appreciated.

When you commit to a single parent, you also commit to their child or children. If you’re not as in love with the child as you are with the girlfriend, you owe it to the child to allow his mother find someone who will build a better family.

I concur. However, as I’m also new to this, I was hoping for some doable suggestions on how to move past it. He is unmarried and his father rewards him while they are together, so he is in a difficult situation. He just wants things his way and causes tension for both of us when he is around his mother and myself. I’m hoping to get some alone time with him, and I think that moment will soon come. It makes me feel bad, but he’s a tough guy.

What exactly is it about the child that bothers you?

I have two kids of my own, and I love them more than anything. But that doesn’t mean I enjoy every stage they go through, and it certainly doesn’t mean they don’t drive me crazy sometimes. It’s important to remember that who they are now isn’t who they’ll always be.

That said, when you enter a relationship with a single mother, you need to be ready to take on the role of a dad. If you’re not prepared for that, it’s going to create a lot of tension in the relationship. You can’t ask her to stop being a mother, but you are expected to try and step into that father figure role.

And I wouldn’t do that. I appreciate your words on the developmental stage he is in because my being around is a part of that. At some point, I’m going to start playing a role where I have some authority and he’s going to struggle with that, it’s very different from what he has experienced in his nearly 7 years of life. I do love him but wished we could get along

What is the child’s age? Is the kid familiar with both of their parents? Which specific actions irritate you?

My two stepchildren put me to the test whenever we initially started interacting. Sometimes, I think the question was more about whether I would be kind than whether I would set and enforce boundaries.

You are not a prospective new parent to this youngster; rather, you are a danger to their mother’s full attention.

Is there anything the kid is into that you could connect with? Finding some common ground, or even learning to appreciate something they like, can make the relationship easier, just like it does with adults.

Being honest with the kid could also help. You don’t want to tell them you don’t like them, but if they’re acting out, try addressing it directly. Saying something like, “Hey, when you behave like that, it feels like you don’t respect me. Let’s talk about it,” can go a long way. It shows you’re not going to put up with bad behavior, but you’re also open to communication.

Good luck! With some effort, I’m sure you can make it work.