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Hookay, I moved in with and later married a woman with a child so can somewhat see things from your girlfriends angle. You guys love each other and decided to cohabitate. She had some experience with the child from the past and while she "wasn't into kids" (neither am I) she thought she could deal with the situation and perhaps even grow to care for the child. Either way it was a small price to pay to be with such a wonderful person as you. Now she is in the thick of it and being around a child full-time is a lot more trying than she thought it would be. Parents are understanding and patient with their kids because of the love and bond they share and have grown accustomed to a childs behavior. A newcomer into the home gets annoyed with things the parent never even notices because the parent has become numb to such things. The newcomer is under a lot of stress dealing with a completely alien situation and has no system in place for alieviating it. The newcomer is going to lash out sometimes not realizing the things they are saying are hurtful and destructive. There is definately a breaking-in period for suddenly being thrust into living with a child and it is not short. That being said, she shouldn't be vying for attention against your five year old. As an adult she should be beyond that. She might have understandable complaints but that one she needs to drop. You on the other hand have said you were glad she wasn't into kids because you don't want any more. Well guess what? You have taken a woman that doesn't want kids and you've given her one. Say what you will, parent or not if you live with your SO and their child you now have parent-ish issues to deal with. You've got to expect problems from that situation. If she really doesn't like kids then she should probably go, at five your son's going to be around for a long time. If you two can be patient with each other and she genuinely thinks she can learn to accomodate the situation maybe it can work out. I love my wife and knew going in if I was going to be with her the commitment would be both to her AND her child. We established upfront things that would definately not be my responsibility (college fund, clothing, medical bills, etc) but some things just go with the territory. I sometimes cook for the child, we spend some time together, I take some role in discipline and some of my activities are curtailed or canceled due to the child's needs. I get aggravated sometimes and occasionally question if I can do it for the long haul but overall I think I can and I put in the effort every day. If she can put in the effort you've got a shot, if not you are both just wasting time. Best of luck to you. I hope everything works out.
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