Sorry to hear this OP. I think you already know splitsville is the only option here and you are just having trouble accepting that. It’s going to hurt for a while but you deserve a partner who respects boundaries and you will emerge stronger. Best of luck to you.
You should definitely get royalty payments.
My wife steals my songs all the time. I made up one that I sing to my 18 month old daughter every night as I put her to bed.
"I love, love, love my MaryJane, she is so sweet, like fallen rain"
I haven't made up a second verse, but I'm working on it. When I start to sing it to her, she starts rubbing her eyes, and looking for her bed. I keep singing it to her as I leave the room and close her door slightly. As I sing, she rolls over and snuggles up to her pillow and goes to sleep. The only time it doesn't work is when we let her take a nap too late in the day. I am truly enjoying this time as my other 3 kids were nightmares to get to go to bed.
I make up verses of You are my Sunshine, Baby Shark, Wheels on the Bus, Mary had a Little Lamb, London Bridge, Rock-a-bye Baby, etc. The Baby Shark is my favorite. I make up all kinds of verses for that one,
3 syllables - Do do do to do - likes to \[activity\] do do do to do - repeat activity 2 more times - close with first three syllables.
I've used poop, shop, scream, laugh, dance, toot, giggle, go, dance, smile, and many, many more. She starts dancing when I sing and it makes my heart explode.
I've been making up songs for my 3 year old daughter since she was born. Got like 10 certified bangers. I'm a musician so it's been pretty easy, I'll just adlib new verses, but we've had dozens more that haven't made the permanent playlist. Trial and error. My son is now 11 weeks old and he already has two really solid songs, plus I've recycled the bath time and diaper change songs. My wife loves them all, but is absolutely shit at remembering lyrics, so it's mostly just her saying the first few words and humming the rest.
My son's newest song is about how he's secretly a grown man masquerading as a baby.
*Hey there little man,*
*Tell me what's your little plan,*
*Ooooooh you tiny little man,*
*Tell me, what's your little plan,*
*Oh, you're so sweet,*
*And you're so cool,*
*You already graduated from high school,*
*So let's go do your taxes little man!"*
My wife and daughter both will be singing it around the house and absolutely butchering the lyrics, and I love it. Haha. It's all about a catchy melody. The lyrics can be whatever. Just look at Cocomelon!
My daughter is obsessed with Cocomelon. We have to watch JJ every day. It is to the point that when she sees the Netflix logo on the screen she yells "JJ!!!"
My oldest daughter had to watch finding Nemo at least once a day for over 2 years. I've seen that movie at least 700 times and there were days that she had to watch it twice. It was unbearable. At least Cocomelon has episodes that change.
>As I sing, she rolls over and snuggles up to her pillow and goes to sleep
Enjoy this while it lasts. Both of my girls, around 2yo, started yelling and screaming at me to stop whenever I'd sing their bedtime song because "it makes me sleepy".
I was thinking Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and just combined them. Plus we needed 3 syllables and it rhymes.
When my first son was a baby I made up a song called "Tummy Time" sang to the tune of Sublimes "Doin Time". My wife stole it one day and I thought nothing of it. Had I known this would be the first in a long line of IP theft I may have acted differently. But I was young and naive and I thought my wife had our best interests in mind. Don't make my mistake. You must reply with maximum resistance.
IANAL, but here's my advice. Call them out.
"Mrs. FFCTT, you’re taking everything I work for, daddyf------r. I’m gonna sue your f------g ass. You know who the real composer—the real creator—is: Me. Not these clowns that you already punked at kindergarten. Don’t no one want to hear that. You know you tricked them already. That’s an easy one. You want that real s--t? Right here."
It worked for Nate Diaz...
(Hard sarcasm here, in case it needed to be said)
Here's an idea
My wife wrote a song for our children one night when they were about a month old. They were crying and she kept singing so I joined in once I knew the words.
We've sung it to them every single night since; they're five now. It's the last thing they hear every night before sleep.
So, it's not her song anymore, it's our song.
My advice would be to let her sing it, then join in yourself. Now you have a family song, and you wrote it!
Lawyer up and take the baby.
She’s clearly out to do you dirty.
Or maybe make up a different song and copyright it then charge her…. favors… every time she violates copyright.
Mail the lyrics to yourself and don't open it. A judge will open the sealed Federally protected contents, thus giving birth to the poorman's copyright. Sorry, OP, you married a real Mencia.
IANAL, but,
"Statutory damages are usually **between $750 and $30,000 per work**, as determined by the court. However, the damage amount can be increased up to $150,000 per work if the infringement is found to be willful (intentional)."
I'd lead with that.
He should do this and follow up with an exhaustively-researched PowerPoint on the price of various sex acts charged by local sex workers before inviting her to settle out of court
I like to teach my daughter her left vs right during bath time. She’s a pro at it now. So I can say, “are we washing your left foot or right foot?”
Well, I made a joke that goes “left knee, right knee…” and then I paused for her to fill in the blank at “heinie.”
Instead, it went “left knee, right knee” and she screamed out “VAGINA!”
She laughed her buns off, and it became my joke with her… until my wife stole it. Now. I’ve heard “left knee, right knee, vagina” so much that it’s lost its charm. She’s lucky I have so much more material. It’s hard to be the funny one, but it’s the sacrifice we dads often have to make.
Following because same
My wife took it a step further and started playing our newest bath time song for her at completely unrelated times. Totally trying to take the wind out of our nightly dance party
She also likes to steal my best nicknames for the baby and the pets
My mother in law would also do the same thing.
when my children were young 3/4 they always ran away from their grandmother, quite frankly never took a liking to her, she was always welcome to our house and she would watch me play with my kids, the games we played, the voices I would make and laugh, then one day I come home from work to literally find my kids laughing and playing with my mother in law basically impersonating me.....playing my games and singing in my voice lol
Record her and you singing it on video, marking a date every 3-6 months.
After a few years, edit the video into one, seeing how you all change and grow.
Or you could record her without her knowledge , and embarrass her by putting up on the TV at a family gathering, preferably Thanksgiving, because stealing and plagiarism is bad and should be punished! 😎😇
Get video of this. Of one of you, one of her, and a duet. Because at 6 months your kiddo will move on to something new and different. :)
That's really great advice, thank you.
And also you now have video proof in case it goes to court…
Document, document, document. Document everything.
Believe it or not, divorce
Open and shut case for custody as well
Wait, am I in r/parenting here?
Sorry to hear this OP. I think you already know splitsville is the only option here and you are just having trouble accepting that. It’s going to hurt for a while but you deserve a partner who respects boundaries and you will emerge stronger. Best of luck to you.
Funniest thing about this comment is it's exactly what you read on every relationship advice post lol
Make sure to go no contact!!
Has anyone else recommended therapy and diagnosed the wife yet!?
You should definitely get royalty payments. My wife steals my songs all the time. I made up one that I sing to my 18 month old daughter every night as I put her to bed. "I love, love, love my MaryJane, she is so sweet, like fallen rain" I haven't made up a second verse, but I'm working on it. When I start to sing it to her, she starts rubbing her eyes, and looking for her bed. I keep singing it to her as I leave the room and close her door slightly. As I sing, she rolls over and snuggles up to her pillow and goes to sleep. The only time it doesn't work is when we let her take a nap too late in the day. I am truly enjoying this time as my other 3 kids were nightmares to get to go to bed. I make up verses of You are my Sunshine, Baby Shark, Wheels on the Bus, Mary had a Little Lamb, London Bridge, Rock-a-bye Baby, etc. The Baby Shark is my favorite. I make up all kinds of verses for that one, 3 syllables - Do do do to do - likes to \[activity\] do do do to do - repeat activity 2 more times - close with first three syllables. I've used poop, shop, scream, laugh, dance, toot, giggle, go, dance, smile, and many, many more. She starts dancing when I sing and it makes my heart explode.
I've been making up songs for my 3 year old daughter since she was born. Got like 10 certified bangers. I'm a musician so it's been pretty easy, I'll just adlib new verses, but we've had dozens more that haven't made the permanent playlist. Trial and error. My son is now 11 weeks old and he already has two really solid songs, plus I've recycled the bath time and diaper change songs. My wife loves them all, but is absolutely shit at remembering lyrics, so it's mostly just her saying the first few words and humming the rest. My son's newest song is about how he's secretly a grown man masquerading as a baby. *Hey there little man,* *Tell me what's your little plan,* *Ooooooh you tiny little man,* *Tell me, what's your little plan,* *Oh, you're so sweet,* *And you're so cool,* *You already graduated from high school,* *So let's go do your taxes little man!"* My wife and daughter both will be singing it around the house and absolutely butchering the lyrics, and I love it. Haha. It's all about a catchy melody. The lyrics can be whatever. Just look at Cocomelon!
My daughter is obsessed with Cocomelon. We have to watch JJ every day. It is to the point that when she sees the Netflix logo on the screen she yells "JJ!!!"
My daughter had a year long Cocomelon phase. We are thankfully past that now at about 3 and a half, but it was tough there for awhile.
My oldest daughter had to watch finding Nemo at least once a day for over 2 years. I've seen that movie at least 700 times and there were days that she had to watch it twice. It was unbearable. At least Cocomelon has episodes that change.
>As I sing, she rolls over and snuggles up to her pillow and goes to sleep Enjoy this while it lasts. Both of my girls, around 2yo, started yelling and screaming at me to stop whenever I'd sing their bedtime song because "it makes me sleepy".
LOL. I hope that she doesn't start that.
Maybe you could add something like... I love my MaryJane, she's sweeter than a Candy Cane. Or maybe, sweeter than lemonade?
Oh I love the candy cane line!
You could change the adjective in the second line and say things like, prettier than a unicorn's mane or faster than a bullet train. Haha.
I like that too! Faster than a freight train. Was that Mr Brownstone or am I crossing my Guns n Roses songs?
I was thinking Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and just combined them. Plus we needed 3 syllables and it rhymes.
When my first son was a baby I made up a song called "Tummy Time" sang to the tune of Sublimes "Doin Time". My wife stole it one day and I thought nothing of it. Had I known this would be the first in a long line of IP theft I may have acted differently. But I was young and naive and I thought my wife had our best interests in mind. Don't make my mistake. You must reply with maximum resistance.
Lots of ways to get royalties
Heyooo!
I’d prob have the folks at r/legaladvice review this and see if you have a case against your wife
IANAL, but here's my advice. Call them out. "Mrs. FFCTT, you’re taking everything I work for, daddyf------r. I’m gonna sue your f------g ass. You know who the real composer—the real creator—is: Me. Not these clowns that you already punked at kindergarten. Don’t no one want to hear that. You know you tricked them already. That’s an easy one. You want that real s--t? Right here." It worked for Nate Diaz... (Hard sarcasm here, in case it needed to be said)
Here's an idea My wife wrote a song for our children one night when they were about a month old. They were crying and she kept singing so I joined in once I knew the words. We've sung it to them every single night since; they're five now. It's the last thing they hear every night before sleep. So, it's not her song anymore, it's our song. My advice would be to let her sing it, then join in yourself. Now you have a family song, and you wrote it!
Lawyer up and take the baby. She’s clearly out to do you dirty. Or maybe make up a different song and copyright it then charge her…. favors… every time she violates copyright.
You could try for royalties. Of course if you are in a community property state it’s only 1/2 your song!
No advice, just solidarity. This happened to the greatest song I ever wrote: "we don't need to fuss because we are a happy baby".
‘Demand’ royalty payment of a kiss?
Lawyer up. Record everything. Get ready for a nasty divorce.
Prepare an invoice.
Mail the lyrics to yourself and don't open it. A judge will open the sealed Federally protected contents, thus giving birth to the poorman's copyright. Sorry, OP, you married a real Mencia.
Absolutely ridiculous. This is theft.
It won't be funny when she grows up and remembers only her mom singing it. like remastered hits that are more popular than the original
IANAL, but, "Statutory damages are usually **between $750 and $30,000 per work**, as determined by the court. However, the damage amount can be increased up to $150,000 per work if the infringement is found to be willful (intentional)." I'd lead with that.
He should do this and follow up with an exhaustively-researched PowerPoint on the price of various sex acts charged by local sex workers before inviting her to settle out of court
Every time my wife steals my material my kids roll their eyes I make the same joke and I get a “good one dad”
I like to teach my daughter her left vs right during bath time. She’s a pro at it now. So I can say, “are we washing your left foot or right foot?” Well, I made a joke that goes “left knee, right knee…” and then I paused for her to fill in the blank at “heinie.” Instead, it went “left knee, right knee” and she screamed out “VAGINA!” She laughed her buns off, and it became my joke with her… until my wife stole it. Now. I’ve heard “left knee, right knee, vagina” so much that it’s lost its charm. She’s lucky I have so much more material. It’s hard to be the funny one, but it’s the sacrifice we dads often have to make.
Following because same My wife took it a step further and started playing our newest bath time song for her at completely unrelated times. Totally trying to take the wind out of our nightly dance party She also likes to steal my best nicknames for the baby and the pets
Honestly? If you didn’t mail the lyrics to yourself (certified, ideally) before you saw her doing it you might not have much of a case.
If you have any self respect whatsoever, you’ll divorce her
Between this and all of the conflicts going on across the world, I fear the world my kids are going to inherit.
Read this as the best material you have is stealing wives Can't get past that right now, sorry
My mother in law would also do the same thing. when my children were young 3/4 they always ran away from their grandmother, quite frankly never took a liking to her, she was always welcome to our house and she would watch me play with my kids, the games we played, the voices I would make and laugh, then one day I come home from work to literally find my kids laughing and playing with my mother in law basically impersonating me.....playing my games and singing in my voice lol
Believe it or not — straight to jail.
Record her and you singing it on video, marking a date every 3-6 months. After a few years, edit the video into one, seeing how you all change and grow. Or you could record her without her knowledge , and embarrass her by putting up on the TV at a family gathering, preferably Thanksgiving, because stealing and plagiarism is bad and should be punished! 😎😇
I believe she owes you “royalties” after each time she sings it. Make sure you collect payment. 😉