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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To tell exH he can’t wfh in my house while daughter is at school

185 replies

ZebraPyjamas · 14/05/2025 08:30

I’ll try to keep this short - some background; exH and I are civil but he is not a good person, he lives with his parents and has never had the children overnight. I had to work to enforce firm boundaries after we split.

Recently our daughter was in hospital so he stayed in my house to look after the other children. I work part time so once she was home he came and wfh in my house the days I worked. Now she’s on phased return to school requiring a drop off in the morning, one visit for medical reasons 2 hours later and collecting 2.5 ish hours later.

He lives about 20 minutes from the school, my house is less than 10 minutes. He has spoken about his flexibility with work, when he signed on to work at 715 he’s been signed off by 3pm, with a lunch break of at least 30
minutes and coffee breaks etc in between. There will be no other children at home. He’s assuming he can use my house as a base during those in between hours so he would be there alone. This came up when I went through the schedule with him last night - he didn’t ask me if he could, but when I said you’ll have plenty of time to go home in between he said something along the lines of “hmmm your place is much closer, I’ll see”

I HATE him being in my space, I actually sage the place after he’s gone. Up to this he had never set foot in this house.

AIBU to say he can’t use my house?

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
doodahdayy · 20/05/2025 06:05

FairFuming · 18/05/2025 14:44

He sounds very similar to my ex, does no actual parenting but likes to be involved in situations where he can look good by 'helping' even though he has as much parental responsibility as I do. He's also one if given an inch will take a mile.
I let mine know where the spare key was so that he could collect kids helmets as he was getting their bikes out of my shed. Helmets are kept at the front door in plane sight but my pet camera caught him in my bedroom having a nosey. He also took the key away with him. I called my landlord and they allowed me to change the lock barrel which I managed myself with a YouTube tutorial.
It's amazing the situations they will try and take advantage of. Hope that's your situation sorted but also wondering if there's a new emergency reason next week as to why he needs to go to your house.

What a dirty old creep. Hopefully he wasn’t going through your knicker drawer!

Nikki75 · 19/05/2025 22:36

I wouldn't want my ex to step one toe over my front door , tell him a straight no.

FairFuming · 18/05/2025 14:44

He sounds very similar to my ex, does no actual parenting but likes to be involved in situations where he can look good by 'helping' even though he has as much parental responsibility as I do. He's also one if given an inch will take a mile.
I let mine know where the spare key was so that he could collect kids helmets as he was getting their bikes out of my shed. Helmets are kept at the front door in plane sight but my pet camera caught him in my bedroom having a nosey. He also took the key away with him. I called my landlord and they allowed me to change the lock barrel which I managed myself with a YouTube tutorial.
It's amazing the situations they will try and take advantage of. Hope that's your situation sorted but also wondering if there's a new emergency reason next week as to why he needs to go to your house.

ZebraPyjamas · 16/05/2025 08:00

Lovehascomeandgone · 16/05/2025 07:07

Now DD is improving, you need to put the firm boundaries back up. No he can’t work from your house. He needs to give back the key. Why would he be there if there are no kids there who need care. Trust me when I say this will become a regular thing if you don’t put your foot down.

Foot has been firmly put down now! Thank you :) he also has never been given a key, the children use their key or the spare key to gain access if he’s with them.

OP posts:
ZebraPyjamas · 16/05/2025 07:59

TheOccupier · 15/05/2025 23:21

I have read all your posts. Telling your daughter not to give her dad the key wasn't an acceptable solution here - of course he was going to pressure her into handing it over. He's clearly a CF/pushy arsehole and you've said that you yourself have found it difficult to establish firm boundaries, but you still expected your young DD to do so. That is unreasonable. You're right not to want him in your home but you should have found some other way to make sure he couldn't get in.

No I didn’t tell her not to give her dad the key. I said I told her to lock the door and throw the key back in, rather than let her brother do it as she’s the only one I can trust to actually push the key all the way back in and not leave it stick halfway in the letterbox! Standard practice for us. He also didn’t “pressure” her into giving him the key, he just asked for it and she assumed it was fine and gave it to him. So my children were not put in any stressful or difficult positions.

OP posts:
Lovehascomeandgone · 16/05/2025 07:07

Now DD is improving, you need to put the firm boundaries back up. No he can’t work from your house. He needs to give back the key. Why would he be there if there are no kids there who need care. Trust me when I say this will become a regular thing if you don’t put your foot down.

TheOccupier · 15/05/2025 23:21

ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 20:17

What position did I put DC in??? The whole reason he is there is because I have to leave for work before she gets dropped to school, I don’t know what faking an emergency would achieve here!!!! I don’t know if you’ve read all my posts.

I have read all your posts. Telling your daughter not to give her dad the key wasn't an acceptable solution here - of course he was going to pressure her into handing it over. He's clearly a CF/pushy arsehole and you've said that you yourself have found it difficult to establish firm boundaries, but you still expected your young DD to do so. That is unreasonable. You're right not to want him in your home but you should have found some other way to make sure he couldn't get in.

Didyouknowslaf · 15/05/2025 22:22

Wrong thread

TY78910 · 15/05/2025 22:10

What does roodleyou keep saying!

carly2803 · 15/05/2025 22:06

surely theres a local cafe he can work from!?

absolutely no!!

ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 21:41

MeridianB · 15/05/2025 20:55

Why do I have a feeling that he will do it again now because you’ve asked him not to?

I actually genuinely don’t think he will, but we’ll see what happens next week I suppose!

OP posts:
ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 21:41

croydon15 · 15/05/2025 21:14

This, he could withdraw the offer and then you will have to take the time off yourself.

Withdraw “the offer” to help his daughter while she’s unwell? So I should allow him to do all all over me because I’m afraid of what he might do? I divorced him so I wouldn’t have to keep living like that :)

OP posts:
croydon15 · 15/05/2025 21:14

cantthinkofausername26 · 14/05/2025 09:23

Won’t it be better for your child if he is close by? If it’s a phased return it won’t last too long I’m guessing. When your child is back full time in school he can go back to working from his home

This, he could withdraw the offer and then you will have to take the time off yourself.

MeridianB · 15/05/2025 20:55

Why do I have a feeling that he will do it again now because you’ve asked him not to?

TheCurious0range · 15/05/2025 20:43

For the sake of 5 days I'd just let it go, it's for your daughter

BakelikeBertha · 15/05/2025 20:31

Sorry, I haven't RFT, but if all the doors in your house have keys OP, then it makes it MUCH easier. Simply lock all the doors with the exception of the bathroom, and whichever room you're happy for him to work in. Put a kettle, milk, tea, mug, etc on a tray in the room you allocate him, lock all the doors, then put the keys in the last room, lock the door and take that key with you.

NewGoldFox · 15/05/2025 20:24

ZebraPyjamas · 14/05/2025 08:39

Other kids were there at the time so I dropped the conversation there. I’ve a message ready to send this morning to confirms arrangements and state that he can’t go to my house, but need to be prepared for the push back. Lots going on at the moment so I’m feeling quite fragile and want to minimise the conflict!

Modelling assertiveness is no bad thing for children to see. You’re not being the “bad guy” for setting boundaries and expectations.
Sorry that you are having to deal with this on top of a trying time! 🤗

ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 20:18

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 15/05/2025 19:21

Well Done OP.. you've made it clear several times now in a very direct and firm way and you actually got an apology and a promise not to do it again.
I'd call that a win.
He's blown it because he knows you are on your guard and will kick off if he does it again.

Thank you :)

OP posts:
ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 20:18

MissJeanBrodiesmother · 15/05/2025 19:50

Depends whether or not he throws his toys out of the pram and refuses to do any of the visits. If this is likely you need to decide what you would do if this was the outcome.

I’ve updated. He hasn’t refused to do the visits thankfully.

OP posts:
ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 20:17

TheOccupier · 15/05/2025 17:20

This was obviously going to happen and you should never have put your DC in this position. Why didn't you fake an emergency to stay at home until after they'd left?

What position did I put DC in??? The whole reason he is there is because I have to leave for work before she gets dropped to school, I don’t know what faking an emergency would achieve here!!!! I don’t know if you’ve read all my posts.

OP posts:
ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 20:15

Mrsgreen100 · 15/05/2025 18:39

Say NO !!!

I did! Several times!

OP posts:
ZebraPyjamas · 15/05/2025 20:15

Mulledjuice · 15/05/2025 17:33

So very clear to him this morning that I did not expect him to be coming back toy house until after he collected her.

Had you actually used those words?

Yes!

OP posts:
MissJeanBrodiesmother · 15/05/2025 19:50

Depends whether or not he throws his toys out of the pram and refuses to do any of the visits. If this is likely you need to decide what you would do if this was the outcome.

dunroamingfornow · 15/05/2025 19:24

ZebraPyjamas · 14/05/2025 08:36

No he doesn’t have a key but he knows where the spare key is. I thought about just moving that but he’ll be leaving the house with my daughter and son in the morning after I leave so could just take a front door key with him then (I’ve never let him do this but in theory he could do it)

I’d change your Wi-fi/ hide the router and change the locks! It’s a request that you are perfectly entitled to refuse.

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 15/05/2025 19:21

Well Done OP.. you've made it clear several times now in a very direct and firm way and you actually got an apology and a promise not to do it again.
I'd call that a win.
He's blown it because he knows you are on your guard and will kick off if he does it again.