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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to keep my DD away from step father-in-law whom i dont trust

78 replies

smallveg · 25/06/2011 21:06

I have name changed for this and apologies if it is a long post.

the situation is that my dp's mum died recently - very unexpectedly and suddenly. She had 4 kids , with dp being the closest geograpically. it has been a pretty horrible time since she died and both dp and DD (4) have been distraught. DD spent every wednesday afternoon with her gran and it was a really special time in the week for them.

She was married (3rd hubby) to a man we have only superficially known for a few years. I never particularly liked him - hes a very angry man, full of the 'isms' and is always ranting about something. He is a very heavy drinker and was abusive to his wife. She called the police a couple of times because of this. He would openly insult her in front of us and in front of DD who absolutely loved her gran. I always intervened and would not allow comments like that from him, which he took as an insult to him.

I know nothing of his background - his previous life etc prior to him meeting DPs mum in 2006. He has always wanted to be a part of DDs life, which tbh I have never felt that comfortable about as i feel most times we have been in his company - he has not respected our 'rules.'
An example is a few weeks before her death when we were visiting, i was really uncomfortable with the way he was with dd. He kept asking her to come upstairs alone with him, taking her aside to give her chocolate in secret and telling her that her mum was silly and a spoilsport. It was his attitude that bugged me and after i had specifically said to him that i did not dd going upstairs without me, i found him standing at the top of the stairs calling out to her to come up and see him. At the time, i was angry but also confused as to why he wanted her on his own. I did say that if there was anything he wanted to show or tell her - it could be done downstairs with the others. He was not happy with this and we left after he told dd (in front of me )that her mum was a stuck up f*king cunt who deserved a good slapping.

this is not an isolated incident of him wanting to get her on his own - either outside to the shed, into the bathroom or upstairs but whilst he would usually sulk about my saying no - this time he went ape.

Fastforward a few weeks. His wife has died and its all a bit crap. he is ringing me up drunk every couple of nights saying that my dd is the only thing keeping him going, he wants her to come and visit / stay overnight and he wants to take over the wednesday afternoons. his mother whom i have only met a couple of times during the funeral etc has also rang me up saying that i have no right to keep him from DD.

i dont trust this man, i know very little of him and what i have seen shows him in my eyes to be abusive and controlling. Not the kind of man I want in her life.

am i being paranoid / unreasonable to actually never want this jumped up wee terrier of a man anywhere near my child??

OP posts:
smallveg · 25/06/2011 21:51

angrybeaver - there would not have been any real contact after the last visit when he was so abusive to me - only MIL died and there was been a bit more contact.
At that time i thought MIL was trying in her own way to salve him, possibly to avoid another battering later so i wasnt too annoyed with her.

i also think his insistence has been strange and that alone, without anything having raised my hackles before, would make me uncomfortable.

MIL was one of DD 'named' people at nursery and I have changed that last week but i will say that there should be NO contact from him to them and if so - why.

OP posts:
smallveg · 25/06/2011 21:55

"Has he EVER been alone with your DD?" - to my knowledge no but shit - i am now really wracking my brains to think if there ever was a chance.

he didnt really see her that often - it was usually them coming here to see us with maybe 4/5 visits to theirs. during those times - i did not let her be alone with him and MIL was always around. NOt that that is 100% guarantee. If he around mid -week for wednesday afternoons- they would come here instead of dd going to her grans.

OP posts:
zlaya · 25/06/2011 21:56

Contact the police, get restraining order, when he does phone again tell him where to go, as you said you know nothing of this man, leave it well alone. tell him to stop and tell him you got the police onto him, that should do it( even if there is no grounds to consider him pervy, his a drunk and verbal abuser) good luck

dutchyoriginal · 25/06/2011 21:57

I usually think not every man being nice to children is a potential abuser, however this horrible man manages to tick all the boxes for suspicious behaviour. You and DP are right, under no circumstances should you let your DD near him! Edam said it better.

kalo12 · 25/06/2011 22:02

you need to absolutely cut this man out of your life. he is no relation to you. sounds dangerous to me

Ismeyes · 25/06/2011 22:04

You already know, don't let him near your DD. Trust your instincts. My mum did, it saved me and my brother from abuse that affected my cousins. Your DD is the most important thing. You could be wrong, but he isn't giving that impression.

pigletmania · 25/06/2011 22:04

duchy I know, when I was little there used to be a really sweet old man who used to have kids in his house, incl me and give us sweets, nothing more. But this guy aint like that, he is nasty and abusive.

AngryBeaver · 25/06/2011 22:06

Bloody hell,he battered their mum..why the hell are dh's siblings even giving him any sympathy whatsoever!Crazy,the whole thing. Dh should get his mums stuff out of their alone/with a friend/with police,and shouldn't even acknowlege this odious little man

smallveg · 25/06/2011 22:10

angeybeaver - the siblings felt "she deserved it" Angry

OP posts:
SarfEasticated · 25/06/2011 22:23

I don't like the idea of you going round there to sort out her things without your DH can you take someone with you.

AngryBeaver · 25/06/2011 22:23

erm,what? why?

ShellyBoobs · 25/06/2011 22:28

zlaya - "Contact the police, get restraining order..."

Not sure that's helpful advice, zlaya. OP's request for action wouldn't be taken seriously by authorities in the context described. Despite his behaviour being awful, there's no clear evidence of wrong-doing, is there? Confused

OP, YAdefNBU to make sure DD is never around this man ever again. He sounds utterly VILE and repulsive. How can anyone make such disgusting remarks to a small child, about said child's mother! What a prick. Angry

If this was my family, I dread to think what my OH would have done by now having pieced together the damning evidence of this man being such an animal towards DD. Shock

outnumbered2to1 · 25/06/2011 22:33

to quote another poster on here who's name i cannot remember (sorry)

tell him to fuck the fuck off and when he gets there to fuck off some more

ENormaSnob · 25/06/2011 22:35

Cut the fucker up off.

allbie · 25/06/2011 22:37

Go with your instincts...he sounds a threat in all ways.

Smellslikecatpee · 25/06/2011 22:38

the siblings felt "she deserved it" WHAT THE FUCK!!!
I think you, your daughter and your poor DP need to be away from all of his family.

they all sound a bit fucked up!

CaptainBizarro · 25/06/2011 22:42

Your OP is chilling, smallveg - you are 100% right to trust your instincts. Your DD is more important than his hurt feelings.

I cannot seriously believe your DP's siblings thought their mother deserved to be beaten... :(

smallveg · 25/06/2011 22:49

smellslikecatpee - i agree with you. we have relatively little to do with them.

angrybeaver - she was a lonely isolated woman who really craved love, affection and attention in her life. her ways of gaining this were misguided and annoying at times. She was a very attractive vivacious women when younger but was all too easily manipulated. She did develop a drink habit later in life, which i thought was down to having little else left. I always felt sorry for her and DP and I gave her chances despite her drunkeness with rules and conditions on her time with us and DD. She stuck by these and really worked to be a fab gran to DD. Her times with DD were the highlight of her life.

its awful that her life ended up with this nasty specimen.

OP posts:
WhereYouLeftIt · 25/06/2011 22:50

Re 'the siblings felt "she deserved it"'

Well doesn't that just make it easier to ignore anything they say? Angry They gave up their right to express an opinion right there.

Vicky2011 · 25/06/2011 22:58

I think you have been far too nice to your DP's family already.

Condoning DV???

That is really scary. Have nothing to do with any of them.

Andrewofgg · 26/06/2011 16:19

Obviously YANBU.

Nanny0gg · 26/06/2011 16:30

I don't know why you're even asking.
If you don't need to even see this man ever again, then don't.
What does your DP say?

ScaredyDog · 26/06/2011 16:34

Good grief, how awful, his poor mother.

One thing that is now bothering me, your DH's mum was sober when your daughter was there, wasn't she? I just hope she's been kept safe from this scary man.

mrsbiscuits · 26/06/2011 16:36

YADNBU........stay well away just the heavy drinking alone would make it a no no for me, let alone the weirdo behaviour about wanting your dd to sleepover and spend time with him on his own.....trust your instincts on this one OP.

Tchootnika · 26/06/2011 20:21

OMG, YADDDDNBU.

  • doesn't respect boundaries you've set?
  • slags you off to DD like that?
  • not to mention alco, anger and horribly unsettling weirdness and inappropriateness.
You have got more than enough VERY compelling reasons to keep well, well away from this man and not let him anywhere near DCs.