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AIBU?

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AIBU to stop DD contact with GF

416 replies

jcsc · 29/10/2024 21:44

DD is 14 year 10 at school. She has a gf whose 16 and in college, this is the hard bit for me, they’ve never met but just spoke on the phone and via text/social media for the last 3 months. They met via mutual friends in a group chat. Blown up last 24 hours as GF is controlling imo and my DD close friends opinion. GF makes her sneak into toilets (no phones allowed at school) to text back or gets angry. Wants to know where she is, who she is with and you can’t leave a message ‘on read’ and not reply or she hounds her. Makes her stay awake as long as possible texting sometimes until 3-4am. She apparently has come out of a toxic relationship and tried to kill herself last year . Gf dad also messaged my daughter asking if she was ok and that they all love her, I found out yesterday after the girls had a bust up and GF was controlling.I am raging that some girls dad is messaging my DD who I’ve never met. Instant red flags. My DD says sorry all the time when she’s not done anything wrong and that I’m not understanding and she’s in love with her. I can’t quite understand how’s she in love with her and that these next years of her life are so massively important that I want her to stop all contact. I’ve stated I won’t allow them to meet (gf lives about 45 mins away from us) and if this carries on I will text the gf myself and remove my DD phone. I’m now the worst mum on the planet that doesn’t understand her feelings or the love she has for this girl and she now hates me kicking me out of her bedroom with a slammed door behind me. Tried to explain it’s my job as her mum to protect her and I think this is a toxic phone relationship that my DD is infatuated with and it’s now spiralling out of control. She’s stopped messaging her friends, hardly comes out of her room, isn’t doing her homework and just isn’t her normal self.
AIBU for saying stop contact or should I let her continue

OP posts:
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9
fashionqueen0123 · 30/10/2024 13:24

jcsc · 29/10/2024 23:12

Thank you I feel so upset and angry at myself. Sitting here crying and getting emotional that I’ve been so naive to let it get this out of control. She’s always been the easy happy go lucky child and I feel annoyed I don’t know how to use all these latest social media apps. I’m in my 40s so far from ancient and just never bothered with it as I hate social media, not thinking this would happen. Before I blocked her on Instagram last night I viewed her profile and she knew I’d done that as she messaged my DD straight away saying why am I viewing her profile!!

You can’t tell when someone has viewed your profile. She will have only seen she blocked you - presumably by going to your profile and seeing you had blocked her

Poobearflower · 30/10/2024 13:18

AgreeableDragon · 29/10/2024 22:09

This could be a catfish! It’s highly unlikely that a dad messaged her! Arranging to meet might be the way forward (with you present) I’d bet “she” doesn’t turn up.

Have you watched Sweet Bobby on Netflix, or the American show Catfish. This scenario bears all the signs.

Yes this is my thoughts too, I reckon the girlfriend is a actually the dad, major red flag. I would slice this off ASAP, just to be safe.

LozC0411 · 30/10/2024 13:15

Webbb · 30/10/2024 13:12

I feel the opposite to most posters. She will find a way to meet her, and it'll be behind your back as she'll feel she has no other option. She'll also be unsafe without her phone- she'll do it anyway.

14 is not 10. You DO think you're in love at 14.

I would arrange with dd to meet the gf together. And while you're all there have a strong discussion about how controlling things have been under the guise of 'I want you both to be happy and safe'

We don't even know if the girlfriend is a real person... And my mom would never want me to meet/ be with someone who is as controlling as this 'girl' sounds

Webbb · 30/10/2024 13:12

I feel the opposite to most posters. She will find a way to meet her, and it'll be behind your back as she'll feel she has no other option. She'll also be unsafe without her phone- she'll do it anyway.

14 is not 10. You DO think you're in love at 14.

I would arrange with dd to meet the gf together. And while you're all there have a strong discussion about how controlling things have been under the guise of 'I want you both to be happy and safe'

UnhappyAndYouKnowIt · 30/10/2024 13:08

BeMintBee · 30/10/2024 07:08

Does school have a pastoral support team? I would contact them or the safeguarding lead and ask for some help and support. If school are aware she’s sneaking off to use her phone in lessons they can monitor this and maybe your dd will respond better to talking to a different adult

i would also call the police for advice as it does sound like catfishing to me

This is my instinct too. Add more light to the situation so the other adults in your daughter's life know what is happening and can offer advice and intervention. If she's breaking rules by sneaking to the toilet to text, they will take appropriate action

C0l0urCatcherx10 · 30/10/2024 13:07

Suggest raise concerns with the school about online safe guarding

Agapornis · 30/10/2024 13:06

Please, please watch Sweet Bobby with her - or listen to the (older) podcast. Your child needs to know that people on the internet are not who that appear to be.

And for yourself, learn from many of the resources out there on how to keep your teenager safe online.

C0l0urCatcherx10 · 30/10/2024 13:04

Change your DD phone number

C0l0urCatcherx10 · 30/10/2024 13:04

Your child should be concentrating on her education
Why do you think thar schools have banned mobile phones
Suggest ban the phone
Get DD to join some local clubs or sports out of school & make new friends

This "person" could definitely be a Catfish, it could be an male or multiple adult males

Protect your DD

beAsensible1 · 30/10/2024 12:55

longtompot · 30/10/2024 12:16

I was going to suggest this too.

As an aside, how would anyone know who was viewing their instagram profile?

maybe she watched her story, if she liked the profile pic or liked one by accident trying to zoom in or something

dayatatime18 · 30/10/2024 12:47

AshLeaf · 30/10/2024 12:34

What? OP doesn’t owe anybody anything. She should feel free to post or not post just as she chooses

It's nothing to do with feeling owed anything. It's everything to do with concern about a 14 year old child in serious trouble. You may not be interested in what is being done to address this dreadful situation after requesting advice. I make no excuses for saying I am.

Candledr · 30/10/2024 12:44

Freezingtoocold · 29/10/2024 23:18

If she won’t give her the phone, take black sacks upstairs and start removing her stuff. This is important, do not do this in anger. This is out of love and protection. “I love you, but you cannot dictate what happens here”. Be calm, if she shouts, just speak quietly. You have to be the one in charge. Extreme reactions come from being scared and out of control. You are in control and eventually once she trusts that she will calm down.

New rule has to be phoned downstairs by a certain time. Is it an iPhone? You can control usage on family settings. Please educate yourself

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/social-media/

is good.

Good luck

Op please do not start taking your child’s things away. She’s in an abusive relationship with someone who might not be who they say they are and needs support, not a parent ‘removing her stuff’. Awful and harmful advice.

Marshbird · 30/10/2024 12:40

1dayatatime · 29/10/2024 22:02

They've never met but have spoken on the phone.

So we can assume she is female but how do you even know if this GF is even 16 !!!

This. I’d be doing a lot more than assuming this contact is a 16 year old girl. What sort of “dad” says to a 14 year old “girlfriend “ of his daughter “we love you”, especially as they’ve never met.

frankly I’d be thinking hard about getting police involved. This is abusive and grooming given the under current of threats of suicide and controlling behaviour.

id be removing phone. Tell her she doesn’t know who the hell she’s talking to. Giving her a lecture about on line safety and grooming. Telling her explicitly about abuse cycle and the “love bombing” and emotional control that are stamped large across this.

massive red flags

Bucketsof · 30/10/2024 12:39

If they’ve never met, don’t know if she is real.

Maybe organize you both meet her in a safe place with CCTV. You ask parent/s to be there. Bring another person.

Theres every chance this person is using photos to blackmail daughter too.

This either ends it? Or gives you an idea of what you’re dealing with so can better organize strategy.

DD deserves better than this person.

(get her name & college …. Call college, say, I know there is privacy but I am just asking you if, after hearing my short explanation, tell me if I should call police. I am worried that the girl Isn’t real & is really a man predator ….)

beAsensible1 · 30/10/2024 12:36

you need some phone rules.

if she can't behave responsibly with the phone behaviour it gets removed.

no phone at school or she has to hand it in to the office during lessons.

let her hate you, this is ridiculous. If her father is contacting her you need to get on the phone to them and nip it in the bud.

AshLeaf · 30/10/2024 12:34

dayatatime18 · 30/10/2024 12:30

OP it's wonderful you are now taking action including getting your son to help you understand the complexity of social media. This doesn't address what your immediate plans are to get your daughter through this traumatic phase. Posters become invested in issues like this & after offering the requested advice it's helpful to find out if you agree or disagree with suggestions or indeed if the issue has been resolved so not necessary.

What? OP doesn’t owe anybody anything. She should feel free to post or not post just as she chooses

AshLeaf · 30/10/2024 12:32

.

WearyAuldWumman · 30/10/2024 12:32

jcsc · 29/10/2024 22:13

No I’ve not watched any of them. I will look into them. The dad messaged her on Snapchat. I don’t have snap chat and wouldn’t have a clue how it works. I asked her for the dads number as I want to message him she said snap chat aren’t phone numbers.

What?! The dad used Snapchat?

Please...put a stop to this. Until 6 yrs ago, I was a secondary school middle manager. Had to report that an 'eleven yr old' was sending dick pics to two of my 13 yr old female pupils. Said pics showed the manhood of an adult male.

Snapchat is a playground for paedophiles.

dayatatime18 · 30/10/2024 12:30

jcsc · 30/10/2024 12:09

I have already accepted and stated more than once my massive errors on the social media side and it’s hard to admit and hear that I’ve been more than shit in protecting my child who I absolutely love more than anything. I feel like the worse parent ever at the moment and a complete failure and I’m trying to get up to speed with social media I really am.

OP it's wonderful you are now taking action including getting your son to help you understand the complexity of social media. This doesn't address what your immediate plans are to get your daughter through this traumatic phase. Posters become invested in issues like this & after offering the requested advice it's helpful to find out if you agree or disagree with suggestions or indeed if the issue has been resolved so not necessary.

WearyAuldWumman · 30/10/2024 12:28

jcsc · 29/10/2024 21:44

DD is 14 year 10 at school. She has a gf whose 16 and in college, this is the hard bit for me, they’ve never met but just spoke on the phone and via text/social media for the last 3 months. They met via mutual friends in a group chat. Blown up last 24 hours as GF is controlling imo and my DD close friends opinion. GF makes her sneak into toilets (no phones allowed at school) to text back or gets angry. Wants to know where she is, who she is with and you can’t leave a message ‘on read’ and not reply or she hounds her. Makes her stay awake as long as possible texting sometimes until 3-4am. She apparently has come out of a toxic relationship and tried to kill herself last year . Gf dad also messaged my daughter asking if she was ok and that they all love her, I found out yesterday after the girls had a bust up and GF was controlling.I am raging that some girls dad is messaging my DD who I’ve never met. Instant red flags. My DD says sorry all the time when she’s not done anything wrong and that I’m not understanding and she’s in love with her. I can’t quite understand how’s she in love with her and that these next years of her life are so massively important that I want her to stop all contact. I’ve stated I won’t allow them to meet (gf lives about 45 mins away from us) and if this carries on I will text the gf myself and remove my DD phone. I’m now the worst mum on the planet that doesn’t understand her feelings or the love she has for this girl and she now hates me kicking me out of her bedroom with a slammed door behind me. Tried to explain it’s my job as her mum to protect her and I think this is a toxic phone relationship that my DD is infatuated with and it’s now spiralling out of control. She’s stopped messaging her friends, hardly comes out of her room, isn’t doing her homework and just isn’t her normal self.
AIBU for saying stop contact or should I let her continue

They've never met? The father is becoming involved? There are red flags all over this.

ETA Apologies. Accidentally quoted entire post.

PrincessScarlett · 30/10/2024 12:25

OP will not be the only parent who has no idea about the dangers of the online world. The parents of that 12 year old in America who killed herself following the online abuse from Alexander McCartney had absolutely no idea until the police contacted them. Thousands and thousands of parents have no idea what their very young children are up to online.

The important thing here is that the OP has wised up and is taking action.

Just touching on what a pp said, please check that your DD hasn't already been sending any inappropriate images or videos of herself.

Rnt95 · 30/10/2024 12:17

OP please read up on the case of Carly Ryan. I don't want to worry you but this post rang so many alarm bells with similarities, especially the dad's involvement. This case really stuck with me.

longtompot · 30/10/2024 12:16

Wigglywoowho · 29/10/2024 22:58

Have you reverse image checked her photos? It might be worth a try. See if the images come back as the same person or if they are linked to someone else.

I was going to suggest this too.

As an aside, how would anyone know who was viewing their instagram profile?

jcsc · 30/10/2024 12:09

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

I have already accepted and stated more than once my massive errors on the social media side and it’s hard to admit and hear that I’ve been more than shit in protecting my child who I absolutely love more than anything. I feel like the worse parent ever at the moment and a complete failure and I’m trying to get up to speed with social media I really am.

OP posts: