Not letting him have DD for 4 nights

[LittleDonkin]

Me and H separated in March. We were living in Cyprus and I came back to the UK 1st of May. H returns to the UK mid July. DD is 3 in October. He emailed me saying he wants DD for 4 nights the week after he returns. I feel that as she hasn't seen him for 3 months we need to reintroduce her daddy slowly. DD and I have never spent a day apart since she was born but H doesn't understand that by him taking her for 4 days straight she may become upset and wonder where Mummy is.

[iwantanafternoonnap]

Sounds like he is a squaddie to me. I don't think it is necessarily the length of time she hasn't seen her dad but more that she will struggle with being away from you for so long when it is the first time he has done it. When my Ex was seeing my DS at around the same age he did miss me and had to skype me and that was just 1 overnight and he is used to staying with other people.

So YANBU to suggest a gradual build up to overnights but I would say he can see her as much as he likes during those days but she needs to come home. Oh and keep a diary of everything, suggest all contact by email and avoid phone calls. My ex was a right arsehole in the end and the fact I had evidence helped me.

[SmiteYouWithThunderbolts]

It doesn't sound like your dd will be very happy suddenly being away from you for 4 days with someone she hasn't seen for 3 months - and at that young age, 3 months is a long time. YANBU.

[iwantanafternoonnap]

Sorry just read back some more not sure how I missed your other posts OP sorry.

[knittedslippersx3]

I think your idea of a gradual build up to the 4 nights away is very sensible. She is very young to be shipped off to a 'strangers' house without any prior build up. You should be around while her dad spends time with her at first. I'm very much with you on this one op.

[LittleDonkin]

I have said he can see her as much as he wants during the day for the 1st couple of weeks he is on leave from the 24th July til 18th August and if all is well him having her for a night or 2 in his last week of leave. He said he doesn't want to be driving backwards and forwards from his brothers as it will cost a bomb and he doesn't want to stay in a hotel which is why he wants her for the 4 nights in a oner!

[iwantanafternoonnap]

My ex is forces too and he no longer sees DS and he was a very hand on father. My ex used 'going on exercise' as an excuse not to see her but then would boast on facebook he was going away for the weekend with OW

It is really difficult but I would suggest a contact routine and I would be prepared for him to never stick to it, use the army as an excuse to not see her when he gets a 'better' offer and then for contact to fade out. I am very bitter though

[LittleDonkin]

From how he was talking to me last night he was making out that I was the stupidest woman in the world for saying he couldn't just take her for 4 nights to his brothers house - a stranger to DD. Thankyou all for your replies. I knew I wasn't being inreasonable but he jumped to the conclusion that I don't want him to see her just because I don't want him taking her for 4 nights.

[honeytea]

I think you should just go along with what he wants. It sounds like he was a pretty craps dad after you separated and the reality of looking after a small child 4 days a week will most probably be not very appealing to him.

[RikeBider]

He doesn't have any "rights" to the child, she has a right to see him, in her best interests.

Sending her to stay with someone she hasn't seen for 3 months for 4 nights is unlikely to be in her best interests. Building up from regular daytimes to overnights to long weekends is the way to go.

[LittleDonkin]

After our discussion last night I felt awful for thinking that no contact would be easier Iwantanafternoonnap! Just to add something else I am 28 weeks pg with DD2 so come September contact arrangements are going to become even more difficult as DD2 will not be leaving my house without me as she will be breastfed for at least the 1st 6 months and she will not be going for overnighters with him until she is at least of the age that DD is now as he has no idea what to do with a baby. When DD used to cry when she was younger he would pick her up, try to settle her for 5 seconds and then pass her to me while saying "She doesn't want me she wants you" and he used to get very agitated with her.

[ManAliveThisThingsFantastic]

If hes all thats a crap dad, why are you having another with him?

[babyhmummy01]

I think ur in a no win situation. I would strongly suggest you seek legal advice just to be certain that if you do refuse, and your grounds for doing so are entirely justified imo, that you are covered so he can't try and use it against you.

If spending time with her prior to ur split was not "normal" for her then doing it now for an extended period could be damaging.

I agree with the pp about try Skype in run up so he isn't a stranger but I would be quite firm in stating that you are not refusing him access but rather trying to phase it so that it gives ur dd time to adjust. If he is a decent dad he will understand eventually I hope

[iwantanafternoonnap]

Big hugs to you littledonkin but I would guess from his behaviour post split and his comments already about petrol he won't see your children much anyway. Mine was really hands on and I couldn't fault him as a father but he now has no contact at all, his choice not mine.

Apparently me telling him to put his child first, to turn up for contact when he should rather than going out on the piss and that he was out of order for not getting DS birthday card to him on time was abusive and therefore he didn't need to take that abuse so he decided to stop all contact with DS. I think he thought I would continue fighting for him to see DS but by this point I had had enough of his excuses for not turning up, the lies and my life being messed up.

I think his best excuse for not turning up for one weekend was that they were snowed in on camp and the roads were all shut. I called the guard room and asked them and it was all lies. It is easier on me because I don't have to deal with the lies but I never get a break. It is hard on DS as he misses his dad but easier as he is not repeatedly being rejected. Swings and roundabouts IYSWIM.

Sorry you are gong through this as it is shite. Do keep contact discussions by email though and a diary of every time you have offered contact even by phone and what his excuses are.

[PearlyWhites]

Manalive that was uncalled for. Op you might do better posting in lone parents than aibu. I don't think you are bu though your dd's dad needs to take things slowly.

[iwantanafternoonnap]

Yeah I would ask for it to be moved to 'Lone Parents' too. I have had some sound advice on there even though I may not have thought so at the time

[LittleDonkin]

I am having another baby as it is something we both wanted. We had been TTC for 11 months and thousands if not millions of people have children with men who are less than 100% perfect dads. I think a lot of men approach parenthood differently to women and while I feel he didn't do things right he probably thought he was ace! Like I said I am more than happy for him to spend time with his DDs but he must understand that contact needs to be built up gradually so eventually everyone can be very happy with the situation.

[LittleDonkin]

I thought I would post in aibu as H thought I was being unreasonable lol