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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To refuse DC's father entry to my house?

25 replies

Vallhala · 11/01/2011 11:02

Background (sorry it's long and some of this is C&P from an earlier post of mine) - Split up from H when DDs were a baby and a toddler following physical and emotional abuse from him. He then spent many years refusing to see DDs while he and his partner claimed he was a SAHD so couldn't provide for them. In fact he was working for his DPs business (proven, not just suspicion).

He reappeared when I had cancer and the DDs were 5 and 7, taking more interest in my life than DDs, seeing them for about an hour a month in my house then stropped and walked away for another few years. Finally, about 2 years ago, he offered to pay £100pm for the girls (he started working for an employer and knew he'd have to pay more via CSA otherwise). He would come to my house for 1 to 1.5 hours once a month and again spend more time bragging to me about his car/holiday/nights our talking to me than he does to the DDs. Visits are unreliable, he's missed months here and there (but still goes to pub regularly, smokes etc Angry ). Inbetween visits, nothing, not even a call unless DD1 calls him.

The girls are now 15 and very nearly 14.

The past 6 months have been hell for the DDs and I, with DD2, who is a challenging, suspected SEN child, off school so with me all day every day (long story, involving bullying). I've fought legal battles, had serious meetings to which he has been invited (he lives 5 miles away, has a car), written long reports and cc'd him in to get no response, not even feedback from him, asked him to attend meetings only to be told he'll think about it and then heard no more and had a pal travelled 70 miles on the train to support me because the girl's own father wouldn't.

Then he turned up last month for an hour, sat drinking tea, asking "have they done anything about a school for DD2?" and remarking that karate, the only activity offered in this village for a child of her age, which very much enjoys, was inappropriate in his opinion.

I quietly but angrily hit the roof. No, "they" (the LA) hadn't, but I had... alone save for a friend of mine who owes us nothing but has done more for the DDs and is more respected as a consequence than he is. That he had no excuse for not even ringing to chat to the DDs, none for not visiting his kids, none for questioning DD2s sports class knowing that I have no transport and there is nothing else in the village given he doesn't offer to take the girls elsewhere, not even for an hour in his own house for a DVD or a chat. I also told him that he had no excuse for expecting me to feed, clothe and pay the bills for 2 teenagers on £11 a week each whilst he smoked, drank, enjoyed holidays and ran a car.

It was when I was adding that he was a disgrace, an apology for a man and an apology for a father too that he picked up his cigarettes and car keys and walked out, saying that he wasn't going to sit there and listen to this. DD1 was in the sitting room and piped up to calmly say that he was upsetting us all and it wasn't acceptable, DD2 stayed in her room throughout, she doesn't want to know him she says though I know bloody well she would if he made the poor child feel wanted.

My two daughters didn't get as much as a card this Christmas from their father (though not for the 1st time by any means). No doubt rather than face the CSA he will at some point this or next month turn up on my doorstep again. It's DD2's birthday this month though as she got no Christmas card I doubt if he'll make his visit around that weekend. :(

AFAIAC I have fucking well had enough. I want to tell him that A -he owes me money and B - to put it through the letterbox because I no longer want him in my house. He is welcome to see the girls at his house or take them out and they are old enough to arrange that with him direct but I see no benefit in him coming through my door.

The problem is that he won't bother. He doesn't even phone them now, he lives only 5 miles away but won't get into his car to see them or take them anywhere. If I tell the useless, abusive, using, cruel fuckwit never to come to my house again his children won't even have the opportunity to see him for that hour a month.

I feel that I have to make a stand. The girls are not babies and they do know what he's like, I've never lied to them. Every visit from that man makes me more resentful and more furious. The bastard is laughing at me, arriving without prior warning at my house to drop a few crumbs our way, tell us about his latest XBox/leather suite/holiday, knowing his kids and I don't have many of the things he takes for granted, and then swanning off again.

But AIBU to do it?

OP posts:
Starbuck999 · 11/01/2011 11:08

YANBU. What an utter twat of a man/father.

I am surprised that you have managed to put up with him for this long. Tell him if he wants to see the girls then he can arrange to meet them somewhere. He lies 5 miles away and only comes over once a month or so? That is not being a father.

Tell him to shove his money up his good for nothing arse and go through the CSA from now on.

theevildead2 · 11/01/2011 11:16

At 14 and 15 your girls know exactly what a cunt this guy is. YANBU and tbh I grew up with a prick of a father, having him sporadically show up is worse than just forgetting about him totally.

SO if by you saying don't bother, he doesn't.. well that won't be the end of the world trust me.

An abusive relationship is the same for wife/husband daughter/father. It hurts and it takes a while to break it off totally and your daughters might have a hard time for a little while but eventually they will get over it and be happier for not having him be in their lives.

Remember it won't stop when they are 18 if he is allowed to be a shitty toxic parent he will always be in the background sucking them dry.

How many people do you know who still aren't rid of their parents even as adults? In fact I think it gets worse because when you "dear" xh starts to get older and see he has pushed everyone else away... he will come to them wanting a relationship. And by relationship I mean he will want them to stop everythinng for him.

christ what a rant! good luck anyway

outnumbered2to1 · 11/01/2011 11:16

YANBU - what an utter prick. It sounds more like a power trip for him. Turning up whenever he feels like it with no prior warning. Sorry but i would tell him to F@ack off. And if he wants to see the girls to Call first and arrange a time and place as it no longer suits you for him to be at your house.

Then i'd call the CSA and get them to sort out the money issues.

Good luck

AMumInScotland · 11/01/2011 11:20

YANBU - I would calmly talk to DD1 (and DD2 if you feel she can deal with it) and say that you don't want to have him in the house any more, but that you will help them to see him elsewhere if that's what they want. I doubt they will want to see him anyway, given the way he's always behaved, but he can certainly take them out somewhere or have them to his house if he can be bothered.

By 14 and 15 they are old enough to know what he is like, and to know that any lack of a relationship isn't because you have stopped him from seeing him, so I don't think you need to put up with anything from him any more.

And get the finances sorted through CSA so it is official and not at his whim.

StewieGriffinsMom · 11/01/2011 11:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Vallhala · 11/01/2011 11:26

Glad it's not just me. Even after all these years his controlling behaviour makes me question myself wrt the girls' welfare. Thank you.

WRT the CSA, it took 5 years, me getting ALL the evidence and an incredibly stressful tribunal to prove he was working for his new partner - and even it was a pyrrhic victory as the CSA demanded he proved accounts. He did, but these by law can/could be drawn up by a non independent person and can thus be fudged. His Stepdad is a former bank manager, so you can guess who made up accounts to say that he earned under £5,000 PA and thus wasn't eligible to pay any maintainence even though the CSA deemed him to be working, can't you? Angry

Under £5K PA to run a car, house, karting hobby, smoke 40 plus a day, go to the pub 3 or 4 times a week, feed a Labrador and 4 cats, go on holiday... yeah right!

All he will do if I go to the CSA is change jobs - he was speaking of going self employed last month, if he does the DDs will get sod all again.

The main point is just not wanting him in the house... I feel he is intruding. I've been SO tolerant and hospitable so far, polite and friendly, but I've got to the homicidal stage now!

OP posts:
Plumm · 11/01/2011 11:39

YANBU, he's a prick and your girls won't miss anything by not seeing him.

LaWeaselMys · 11/01/2011 11:39

I don't think your DDs will be missing out if he doesn't bother.

However, I think you should talk to them about, explain that you are finding his visits very stressful and so you would like them to meet elsewhere, and it will be up to him to arrange this - if they're okay with this.

TheRunawayWife · 11/01/2011 11:42

I think he is doing more harm then good being in their life, they have you and they do not need him. YANBU

FellatioNelson · 11/01/2011 11:54

This was pretty much the pattern of contact and support I had with my father. By the time he died last year, he had three broken marriages, and was estranged from all three of his children (from 2 mothers) and lived alone in a crappy one bed council flat, broke, (despite working hard all his life) and with no-one around him except his pub buddies. He wouldn't have recognised any of his own grandchildren in the street. When my sister and I last saw him it was at our grandmother's funeral. He tried to be all pally with us, but immediately after the service we both left. He pleaded with us to stay, and in front of the whole family we made our excuses and went home. They all knew why. I could tell he was humilated and shocked, and hurt. He tried to make amends in later life, but it was too little too late. Your ExH will get his karma, Vallhalla, as my Dad got his.

With children, you get out what you put in.

Vallhala · 11/01/2011 12:07

Fellatio, my own Dad has been married 3 times with children and step-children from all 3 marriages - I'm the eldest, in my 40s and found him after almost a lifetime's estrangement when I was in my early 20s.

His and (his current family's) behaviour towards me caused me to say "enough is enough" about 3 years ago and I have walked away from what was an emotionally destructive relationship and will never see him again. I think that's part of it... I've done it for myself, my choice, I'm an adult and I'm GLAD I have, but to feel that I am making history repeat itself for my DDs makes me uneasy.

I will of course discuss it all with my DDs - I can pretty much guarantee that DD2 will say she doesn't give a stuff and it makes no difference to her (and tbh why shouldn't she?), and DD1 will be calm and shrug, saying that he can make the effort if he wants but knows that he won't. I can see her (as she does from time to time) calling him or dropping him a text (ok, admittedly often to see if for once he'll give her a lift to a pals or somesuch, but that's what teenagers do to parents innit although he has never done so and often doesn't even respond to texts or answerphone messages). Then she'll shrug again, call him a wanker and roll her eyes.

I love DD1's cool sometimes. She sure as hell doesn't get it from me (or the wanker!).

OP posts:
LaWeaselMys · 11/01/2011 12:51

Sounds like they will take it well then. Good luck Val.

monkeyflippers · 11/01/2011 13:07

Wow is the the first time you've got angry at him like that? How did you manage it? The man has no shame!

egopostulosomnus · 11/01/2011 13:11

valhalla, i wouldnt think twice about telling him no (my ex does not step over the threshold and has also given up jobs to avoid csa). how desparately do you need his money? (please i am not asking you to say on here, just to think if the cost financially is worth the cost emotionally) your children are similar ages to mine and mine have made their own arrangements by text for a little while now, seeing him out of duty rather than desire. i am there to pick up any pieces but they know how he is and so have adjusted expectations accordingly.
hope you get things sorted

Vallhala · 11/01/2011 13:35

monkey, it's by far the first time I've got angry. Come ti think of it, it's not th first time he's stomped off in a stropp because I've told him what he is either.

Yep, it's not just me and it's not as if this is the first chancce he has had either.

That's him out of my house and life for good.

OP posts:
monkeyflippers · 11/01/2011 13:38

Can't blame you.

mjovertherainbow · 11/01/2011 13:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

KangarooCaught · 11/01/2011 13:56

Put the CSA onto him, just to make his life a little bit awkward, with no expectation of money and don't let him in the house any more. It sounds like dds' lives will be immeasurably improved without the occasional reminder by his presence that they have a dead-beat Dad.

GwynAndBearIt · 11/01/2011 14:09

Sounds like you have been more than reasonable in order to allow your girls to know their father and have a chance of a relationship with him.

You've tried

He's failed

Your girls don't need him.

You're doing the right thing.

Vallhala · 04/04/2011 18:01

Well, he arrived here a short while ago. I opened the door as my 14 yo fled up the stairs shouting that she didn't want him in our house.

Not a problem, he wasn't being invited! He put a foot over the threshold though, expecting to just walk past me and into my home.

I stood my ground and told him that he was welcome to make arrangements with the girls to see them but he was no longer welcome in my house. I asked if he had an apology for walking out without so much as a word to my girls the last time he was here, all because he didn't like what I'd said to him. He replied that he didn't as "they (the girls) are rude to me when they want to be, so why shouldn't I be rude back?".

Erm... because you're the tosspot who abandoned them? Nah, I told you all that last time, what's the point?

DD1 reminded him that it was me who'd annoyed him not her sister. He looked at her blankly. Hmm

At that point, my poor DD2, who for 14 years had never dealt with her feelings with anything other than anger, stood at the top of the stairs sobbing, saying she wanted him to go away, that she didn't want him to come in. :(

I said that he could see he was upsetting DD2 and asked him to go, repeating that I will always encourage him to see the children but that he should make arrangements directly with the girls, (he has their mobile numbers and our landline number) if he wants to see them, and to see them elsewhere than at my house.

For nearly 16 years I've taken shit off that man. Angry :(

Never again.

OP posts:
PigWhisperer · 04/04/2011 18:07

Well done you! Poor girls, but well done them too.

CurrySpice · 04/04/2011 18:13

Oh well done. He sounds an utter pig

Hope your DDs (and you of course) are OK

Vallhala · 04/04/2011 18:48

Thank you. Hugs and phone top-ups have been administered. You can guess which was the most popular of the two remedies, can't you?

Cheers a bunch DDs!

OP posts:
FabbyChic · 15/05/2011 15:16

I've read the back story, and under the circumstances you have no choice but to tell your daughters their dad is a bastard. I feel for your DD2, he seems to be only wanting to see the daughter that gives him no chat, that allows him to take the piss and get away with it.

I moved away with my children so that their dad could not interfere in their lives, was the best thing I ever done, him being 104 miles away means other than the odd phone call they never see him other than once a year.

Works for us.

Yukana · 15/05/2011 17:53

My father did the same thing, and is still messing with me even when I'm no longer a child.

Your girls understand what a prick he is being and that is he unreasonable. They understand he just doesn't care, and although it probably hurts them he obviously doesn't give a wank.

Cut him out of your life, for your sake and for theirs. Get back that money he owes you when you can.

You are not being unreasonable to want to do this, and big big hugs from me, you've done well to put up with the piece of shite.

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