I'm responding to your confession here.
Whether you were out of line or not I think depends on some of the circumstances.
Did you know he was ordering the tickets? (I'm guessing you did not.) Did you know he was ordering 4? Do you guys have a lot of conflict over the whole blended family issue?
If he went behind your back and ordered the tickets, then no, you are not out of line to cancel the order. If he told you that he was ordering tickets but omitted telling you that he was ordering 4 then I probably would have called and inquired about that before cancelling (which you may have done). Did he order the 4 tickets so that he could get better seats? Or so someone else could sit with you guys?
This statement:
This is a drop in the bucket of the whole situation, and sometimes I worry that I've lost my perspective.
makes me think there's a lot more going on than just Nutcracker tickets. I'm just trying to get a better grasp of the situation. It sounds like a sticky one!
As for the babe...is it an option to get someone else to watch her while just you 2 go?
And I totally did not know you had a stepdaughter!
Re: Cissy
No, I didn't know. I knew it was coming up of course, but I didn't know he was going to do that. He mentioned to me once that he'd buy us two tickets. I even asked how much and he said they'd be $20 or $25. That's a far cry from $45 each times 4. If I'd had the chance to discuss it, then I probably wouldn't have done what I did. But sometimes words aren't enough and you need action to get your point across.
I don't know why he did it. That's part of what's so frustrating. He probably doesn't either. If someone was sitting with us, then once again, we probably wouldn't have had a problem.
He doesn't want R to skip the performance just like he doesn't want me to. Distance was my solution for a while, but no deal.
We both just turn into raving lunatics sometimes. It sucks! If I had known then what I know now...
In that case, no, you were not out of line. I would have probably done the same thing.
I hope it all works out for you guys! I know being a step-parent cannot be easy but it sound like you're doing your best. Which is all anyone can ask of you.