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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to have let dd speak her mind to dp?

738 replies

MrsHamsterCheeks · 13/03/2014 22:55

Dd is 7, dp has been around since she was one. Recently she's been really off with him - not wanting him to take her to school, hold her hand,read to her and so on. She'd rather miss out on doing something she enjoys than do it with him. He seems to just grate on her. For example, if her breakfast is ready I'd tell her so, if she didn't go to eat it within a minute I'd check she'd heard then leave her to it - her own fault if it goes cold, though 99% of the time she goes within a couple of minutes.

Dp on the other hand would tell her it's ready, then keeping saying 'come on, breakfast is ready' every twenty seconds until she gets annoyed or even try and lead her to the table. She is very headstrong and likes to do things on her own terms but he just doesn't seem to get her anymore. By his method she usually leaves her breakfast then he'll offer her something else, so it isn't that I'm pandering to her - quite the opposite.

Today dp took our dd (14 months) out for a few hours as I had some work to catch up on. He then collected dd from school and took her to the dentist. When they returned I had cooked tea, I washed up, tidied, sorted out school bags, bathed the kids, did homework with dd, read stories with them both etc. He watched football and/or sat on his phone.

When he heard me telling dd2 that it was the last story I heard him creep upstairs and go and sit on dd1s bed as she'd been playing in her room. When dd2 and I entered dd1 glared at dp and said: 'i don't know why you're pretending you've been playing with me, mummy knows you've been downstairs on your phone you know.' He mumbled something about tidying up and she started ranting about how he hadn't tidied up, or washed up, or anything else because I'd done it as well as everything else while he played on his phone Confused

She then proceeded to tell him that all he'd done that evening was upset dd2 by making her have tummy ache because all he'd fed her today was two lots of chips and a packet of crisps and by turning off the iPad quickly when he heard me coming downstairs so I wouldn't know he'd stuck dd2 in front of igglepiggle 'yet again.' I honestly never rant to or about dp so this tirade hasn't come from me.

Dp looked shocked and had a go at her for being a 'completely disrespectful little madame' and turned to me and said 'are you going to let her speak to me like this?' Dd2 was then sick so I had to sort her out but I could hear her and dp still bickering. I put dd1 to bed and said we'll talk in the morning as dd2 is still being sick and dp gone to work.

Aibu to have let her speak her mind? I feel it might do her good to get it off her chest as the resentment has obviously been building but then feel I'm undermining dp. However, everything she said was true so I can't tell her off for that. Maybe just speak to her about voicing her opinions more respectfully?? What do you think?

OP posts:
steff13 · 13/03/2014 23:28

I think she spoke to him disrespectfully. If he is in a parental role, she must treat him with respect, and you should have called her out on that.

If he is not up to par in the parenting/partner department, you need to address that with him separately.

WorraLiberty · 13/03/2014 23:29

It doesn't matter whether you eat breakfast at the same time or not.

If you make somebody breakfast and then call them to come and eat it, it's very bad manners for them to ignore you.

The fact it's your 'very head strong 7yr old daughter, who likes to do things on her own terms', makes it even worse.

It's disrespectful and disobedient so I suggest it's YOU that doesn't get that rather than your DP just not getting her.

MrsHamsterCheeks · 13/03/2014 23:30

So if dd had said she'd tidied up when dp knew she hadn't and he said so, would he be being rude and disrespectful? I don't agree that kids should have to put up with and agree with whatever just because an adult said it.

OP posts:
DrOwh · 13/03/2014 23:31

Maybe that is why you think it is ok for DD1 to speak her mind, it does sound you don't want to rock the boat.

Why he spending too much time glued on the screen, is he watching football on his phone?

You have now a perfectly excuse to bring any problems in your relationship to his attention.

I would certainly encourage children to speak their mind however they must learn how to use the right tone.

HarderToKidnap · 13/03/2014 23:31

OK, well you're not going to have a very happy home then. DD talking to DP like he's shit on her shoe and you thinking how wonderful she is. Good luck.

MrsHamsterCheeks · 13/03/2014 23:32

She doesn't ignore me worra, she says ok thanks and then goes to eat it. I don't see the need to demand that she instantly stops whatever she was doing and eats it that precise second.

OP posts:
Janethegirl · 13/03/2014 23:33

Op I agree, children should not need to agree with an adult if the adult is in the wrong. And respect is earned and not a given right because you are an adult.

WorraLiberty · 13/03/2014 23:34

I wonder how you're going to cope when she turns round and rips the shit out of your parenting one day OP?

Because believe me, it will happen whether it's 'warranted' or not...and you just might expect your DP to pull her up for being rude and disrespectful.

You two are her parents, not her personal staff.

Supercosy · 13/03/2014 23:35

Mmmmmm.....I'm not sure about this. I encourage my Dd (11) to be fairly open about her feelings but she'd never give DP a "telling off" like that. I wouldn't stand for it and neither would she. I don't see how you can be effectively working as a parenting team if you firstly think so poorly of your dp but secondly allow your Dd to tell him off on your behalf.

MrsHamsterCheeks · 13/03/2014 23:35

I just see her point harder. If it wasn't true, he wouldn't have been so offended. She has tried broaching it before more politely and has been ignored, I can understand why that's frustrating.

OP posts:
TheBody · 13/03/2014 23:36

agree worra and MrsTerry you are atoring up trouble unless you deal with her behaviour.

can't belive a child would have the ability and noise to see who does what housework in a house or that it would occur to her to comment.

she must have got that from you op even if you don't realise.

take care, if you can't control the manners of a child you have lost the teenager allready.

telling the truth is great as long as she is taught manners, respect and boundaries. otherwise she won't be popular as she gets older with adults or her peer group.

steff13 · 13/03/2014 23:37

She doesn't need to broach it with him. You need to broach it with him. If the situation doesn't improve, you have some decisions to make, I suppose.

You're either co-parents and partners, or you're not. It sounds like you're not.

CoffeeTea103 · 13/03/2014 23:37

Well it seems you accept your dd appalling behaviour so it's no wonder she thinks she's free to speak that way.
Good luck to you, with a rude and disrespectful daughter like that you have a lot to look forward to.

WorraLiberty · 13/03/2014 23:38

Yes I also believe your 7yr old has very much got this division of labour thing from you OP.

Unless she's a secret member of Mumsnet, I just can't believe she'd have a rant like that off her own back.

MrsHamsterCheeks · 13/03/2014 23:38

Worra if she criticised something that was truthful then that's fair enough in my opinion. Just because she's a child doesn't mean she can't have a mind of her own and voice her displeasure. It's a sad world for a child to live in if they have to put up and shut so they don't offend grown adults.

OP posts:
TheBody · 13/03/2014 23:39

sorry to add you should have stopped her at the first rude rant and told her to apologise to your op, in effect her dad?? and then behind closed doors year your partner off a strip for being a lazy bugger.

but in front of the kids united you have to stand.

HarderToKidnap · 13/03/2014 23:39

Well, you said in your OP you were totally shocked and this was out the blue. She's seven. If she's monitoring how much housework you're each doing and worrying about her little sisters diet and has tried to broach it several times before then it's obviously deeply affecting and worrying her. And one or both of you should have picked up on this a long time ago and set her mind at rest. It's obviously been nagging at her. She doesn't sound like a happy little girl and, I don't want to be unkind, but you sound like a deeply ineffectual parent.

lessonsintightropes · 13/03/2014 23:40

IMO I think it's vital to have a united front as parents, even if you secretly disagree with the other party sometimes. Anything else will confuse the kids horribly. And I think worra speaks a lot of sense.

TheBody · 13/03/2014 23:42

yes adults who 'speak their mind' are usually disliked by most people. they are invariably rude and nasty.

HarderToKidnap · 13/03/2014 23:42

Or she senses that you approve of her rants and enjoys very much telling daddy off and making him the black sheep, with you complicit in this. Either way this is not a good situation.

MrsHamsterCheeks · 13/03/2014 23:42

Steff I meant she'd broached the phone issue. He went to watch her at an activity last week, something she'd been asking him to do for months, and sat on his phone the entire time. In the break she asked if he could watchthe ssecond half and he said he would. He didn't. He said afterwards that she was good at x, y, z which they didn't even do that week.

OP posts:
Janethegirl · 13/03/2014 23:42

Sorry, I have never believed in backing my partner if he's being completely unreasonable in front of my kids. I agree with the OPs stance with her daughter. Just because you are an adult doesn't mean you are right or should be supported if your stance is unreasonable.

Supercosy · 13/03/2014 23:43

It's not her job to tell your DP off and that is what you should be telling her. This is because if you agree with her and the way she spoke to him you are undermining him completely and it will be impossible for him to discipline her at all in the future.

I will admit I occasionally moan under my breath a little about DP's foibles in front of Dd. She has once or twice tried to be "loyal" to me by agreeing or even saying something jokey to DP about things but I nip it in the bud and say "I shouldn't have been moaning about DP in front of you Dd, I'm sorry about that, she's a great parent, and if Dp and I have a problem I will be the one to talk to her about it". As a result Dd gets the message that I have respect for DP (which I do) and that we are a parenting team (which we are 100%).

WorraLiberty · 13/03/2014 23:43

And another reason why you need to get the rude outbursts nipped in the bud now, is because you also have another child to consider.

If she rips into her sister like that in a few years, due to 'just being honest'...can you imagine the effect that might have on her?

She'll either grow up being too scared to say boo to a goose, or she'll also be prone to obnoxious outbursts.

And how are you and your DP going to handle that?

MrsHamsterCheeks · 13/03/2014 23:45

Well Harder, my 'deeply ineffectual parenting' isn't so bad if it produces a child who's two years ahead at school, head of several sports teams, received a glowing report from school, has lots of friends etc.

OP posts:
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