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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to insist that they stop smoking?

50 replies

thatisall · 06/06/2012 12:25

Or more specifically am I being unreasonably to put conditions on my ex's contact with my daughter as far as concerns smoking?

Bit of background. DD was very poorly aged 3 months and we very nearly lost her as I woke up one morning to find her blue. She was in hospital for 3 weeks with a terrible chest infection and it was devastating. My then partner, her father, was not around for this as he had gone back up both to visit his friends and family. (should've got the measure of him then no?) I sometimes think that because he wasn't there, he doesn't have all the same worries about her health as I do.

WE moved back up North to be near both families. Ex's parents smoked like chimneys, I mean ALOT. When you stepped in their house you could cut the smoke with a knife!! We had so many family rows about this as they would smoke when we were there with our baby and even if they didn't have a cigarette in their hands, the smoke is kind of ingrained in the house!! They wouldn't visit us, we had to visit them as ex's dad was ill. Ex's Mum has now quit but his Dad is still like a chimney.
DD is ok now (aged 9), but catches colds and chest infections easily, she has mild asthma, and generally seems to be susceptible to coughs etc. We try not to make too much of an issue of it all.

So the problem. My ex lives quite far away and often has dd overnight when he's home for his visits with her. He lives at his parents when he's home, so she sleeps in their smoky house. We have to wash her clothes twice when she gets back and she has to go straight in the bath as she stinks. She is so embarrassed that she won't go anywhere straight after her visits as she wants to clean the smell off. Ive even caught her sniffing her hair after her bath to check for smoke smells.

But guess what....ex claims nobody smokes there anymore.

I can't stand that my dd's health is being put at risk and that they are lying to me. I have tried to talk to my ex about this before but he says theres no other way he can have a proper father/daughter relationship other than having her at his parents. He is angry that I would try to 'tell them how to live their lives'. But were it not that my dd is seeping there then I agree it would be none of my business.

DD told us a few days ago that she is worried about her Grandad smoking so much and that she thinks her dad is smoking in secret (she went in loo after him and it was smoky and there were cigarettes in the loo). She's not daft, she's a worrier and not a trouble maker; it will have taken a lot for her to speak to me about her worries.

So I suppose I have to speak to him again? How do I put it? Or do I just state that she cannot go there anymore? AIBU to think I even have a right to make conditions on his access with our dd?

I was going to put this post elsewhere but AIBU tends to be the most blunt and I kinda like that. :-)

OP posts:
smokinaces · 06/06/2012 12:42

Sorry but Yabu. It's not nice, but its not your place - you cannot stop contact over smoking, and there's no way you can ban them!

bumperella · 06/06/2012 12:43

You can't tell grown adults to stop smoking. It won't work, for a start.
You have to ignore your ex lying to you -he's your ex. Don't get cross at the lies, just be glad he is an ex and not current.

But.... as to what you should do? V tricky, not sure I know!

Can see your concerns, but maybe consider - what is going be more damaging, occasional (?) passive smoking or loosing contact with her father? If they smoke outside then is still bad but not AS bad.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 06/06/2012 12:44

Yanbu. Dure many will disagree but your dd's health is the most important thing and I have been in same boat and it's horrible. Unless they have a special filter in the house there us nooooooooooo way that the house us gonna be smoke free even if they no longer smoke in house. It's in the wallpaper the carpet everywhere :( my dd1 has asthma and I am always very reluctant to gave her stay anywhere where people will be smoking and the " never did mine any harm" crap drives me crazy. She always comes back coughing :( I think you should do what you feel is best and if that means paying for a b&b overnight with her dad or forcing them to visit at yours then so be it. Smoke is dangerous to children! :( I wish you luck op

thatisall · 06/06/2012 12:45

bump I agree that losing contact with her father would be terrible and in my eyes that is just not an option, but they don't smoke outside. Because his dad is 'ill' they have all the doors and windows sealed so he doesn't catch anything and whatever he says I don't care, he smokes ALOT. When Ive collected her before and the front door has opened, smoke has visibly come out of the door.

She doesn't like it, she has told me her concerns, I can't ignore that, so what do I do??

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 06/06/2012 12:49

YABU

She's 9yrs old. If she decides she doesn't want to visit any more then fair enough.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 06/06/2012 12:50

Would it not be possible to stay in a cheap b&b with her on visits ? Or stay with a family friend up there. Asthma is not something your ex should be ignoring it can ve fatal for heavens sake snd cigarette smoke is a major trigger. As a father he should care more tbh and be helping create a safe environment for his dd when she stays.

thatisall · 06/06/2012 12:52

I think my OP is misleading. We ALL moved back up North but then he moved away again. So we live in the same town as his parents and when he comes back to visit dd, he stays with them. She has her own room etc.

OP posts:
thatisall · 06/06/2012 12:53

Worra she hasn't said she doesn't want to visit her dad any more, but she has said that she hates the smoke, that it upsets her, that she struggles to breath when she's there; essentially she's saying she doesn't like to stay at that house.

OP posts:
Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 06/06/2012 12:55

Then can't he just pick her up in the morning then and if his parents wanna are her they can come to yours? Your house your rules. Think it's perfectly understandable a parent wouldn't want their child especially one with asthma staying in a smokey house.

BlackOutTheSun · 06/06/2012 12:56

As a smoker YANBU

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 06/06/2012 12:58

I don't think you can do anything. You simply don't have 100% control over what happens in your dds life to be able to do anything.

You can't insist that they don't smoke in their own house, and you can't stop your dd from seeing her dad in his home.

You could give your dd leave in conditioner spray for her hair if that might make her feel better about the smell in her hair, and you could give her some of those smoke diffusing candles to take with her. I expect they will only help minimally, but it might help you and your dd feel that you are doing all you reasonably can.

thatisall · 06/06/2012 12:59

wheres his parents are more than welcome to visit her at our house, but they don't. They do come round on her birthday and Christmas day to say hello etc, but have ever taken us up on the offer of popping in any other time. (theres no animosity or anything, I think they just feel weird?)

The reason we started overnights was because he and I talked at length about our dd and the relationships we wanted her to be allowed to have with us. WE realised how different it was to only see a child on outings as opposed to for breakfast and bedtime stories, bad dreams and lazy days in pjs etc.

I want her to have that relationship with my ex and he deserves to have that relationship with his dd, which is why the overnights are so important to him/her.

OP posts:
Snorbs · 06/06/2012 13:00

It's a tricky one. I have heard of a court ordering that the non-resident parent must not smoke around their child but that was only after a doctor wrote a letter saying that the smoke was of particular risk due to the child's existing health problems. More usually a court would say that what a parent does when the child is with them is up to them.

Ephiny · 06/06/2012 13:00

You can't insist that they stop smoking. However you can say that your DD won't be staying at their house any more, if you're worried about the effect on her health and/or she doesn't want to. It doesn't mean she can't spend time with her dad any more, I'm sure you can work something out, e.g. staying in a B&B, or having ex to stay at yours (if you can stand it!)

GrahamTribe · 06/06/2012 13:00

By all means insist that these adults can't carry out a perfectly legal activity in their own home, just don't expect the response to be polite or favourable to you.

SchrodingersMew · 06/06/2012 13:01

I'm a smoker and I don't think YABU and I don't see why they think it is okay to smoke around her. Asthma is very dangerous they are very uncaring if they are willing to cause her an attack for the sake of a fag.

Proudnscary · 06/06/2012 13:04

YANBU - and I am usually the first one to say 'stop being a PFB, you can't tell people what to do'.

I think you have to have a buttock clenching, very forthright talk with ex or his parents and say you cannot have them smoking around your daughter.

They won't take it well, you will probably have a row but actually you will be doing it altruistically so that they can all continue to see her and have her overnight.

After that, if they don't take heed, I admit I have no idea what to suggest.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 06/06/2012 13:04

Can he stay at yours and you stay at a friends? Better idea than her ending up in hospital if she has trouble breathing while there! Children breath faster than adults and there for breathe in more smoke causing more harm. Passive smoking is still a huge risk! :(

thatisall · 06/06/2012 13:13

wheres I think my dh would just hit the roof if I even suggested that and to be honest I think I've done enough over the years to facilitate his contact. Hate drip feeding but when we first separated he would only spend time with dd if I was there too, so I was spending hours and hours with a man I (at the time) hated just so that my dd wouldn't suffer.

I would go to great lengths to make sure my dd has the opportunity to have a relationship with her dad, but I think he should meet me half way and me leaving my marital home so that he can use it, is just a bit too far lol

OP posts:
Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 06/06/2012 13:20

Well someone's gonna have to budge and nake a sacrifice and I don't think it should be your dd! If your ex doesn't see the harm and isn't prepared to work with you to help your dd then he's an idiot. What he does when he's at his folks and she's not there is up to him but you are all adults and your main priority should be your poor dd stuck in the middle. He's her father and should be prepared to do anything for his child and if he can't put himself out for one night then he's too selfish to be a dad IMO. You can't keep risking your dd's health to save him hassle if his parents r well enough to sit and chain smoke then they well enough to hop on a bus and come see her! :(

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 06/06/2012 13:21

Sorry that sounds really harsh I'm just angry that they can't see the harm they could be doing :(

thatisall · 06/06/2012 13:23

lol doesn't sound harsh, sounds honest. You are right, my worry with the suggestions that he comes here or that we 'lend him' our house for overnight visits is that it would damage our relationships. Mine and my dh's (as he would hate this suggestion and thinks ex should just sort this out somehow) and ours with my ex which is largely amicable.

It might also confuse dd no?

OP posts:
Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 06/06/2012 13:31

Think at nine she should be able to understand. If she's already expressed a dislike of staying at the house ( can't blame her) then shouldnt have to force her to go. If he says no then you have offered and gone out your way to help him keep contact. But he should want this and I'm Shock at what you say about having to push for him and talk it over and sort it all out for him. He should he jumping at the chance to see her. And the suggestion of staying somewhere smoke free is a reasonable one given your daughters health issues. :(

sashh · 06/06/2012 13:51

Could you put up with him staying at your house?

GreyElephant · 06/06/2012 13:56

My blood is boiling! OP YANBU at all. I lost both my Grandparents to lung cancer when they were in their 60s. My Grandfather smoked 40 a day, my Granny never smoked in her life. She died of lung cancer through passive smoking. My Mum suffers terrible asthma and grew up in the smoke filled house. Mum refused to take us around to visit them unless it was a sunny day and we could sit in the garden.

Do not allow your DD to visit. If they want to smoke that is their business. Protecting your daughters health is your business. If you won't stand up and fight for her health then who will? Clearly not XDP or his family.