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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To hate ex DP having 2 and 4 year old every other weekend?

81 replies

Aloneandtrying · 27/06/2015 14:29

I lost respect for my DP after we had a child 4 years ago as he was so useless with her, I hoped he would be better with Dd2 and he was but still not great. However after dd2 I fell out of love with him, I had a c-section and he did nothing to help with either child while on paternity leave and refused to cook, clean, change a nappy etc. I tried for 2 years but I can't stand him as he does nothing with the children. I split from him 2 months ago, rent a little house by myself and am excited at the chance of one day finding love again. However I spend every other weekend in tears when the dc are with him as I know they are not happy. Oldest dd says they are hungry when with him as he won't wake up to give them breakfast, that he shouts at youngest dd all the time and makes her cry (she is two) that he makes 4 year old look after two year old so ex DP can sit and play computer games :( I know he would get back with me in a heart beat so I don't know if I should get back together so the dc don't have to go through this every other weekend and then leave him when they are self sufficient in getting there own food and have common since regarding plug sockets etc? (Two year old always try to play with plug sockets and I dread to think what will happen with the four year old looking after her). I really don't want to be in a relationship with him but I can't bare to put my little dds through this every weekend. What on earth can I do?

OP posts:
SylvaniansAtEase · 27/06/2015 15:14

Oh and yes he IS heartless as well as useless. A good person doesn't shout at babies for wetting themselves Sad.

He's a twat. And lazy, and neglectful. Tell him so, and leave him in no doubt that he does not get to treat your children badly. And taking them abroad? Fuck right off!

BettyCatKitten · 27/06/2015 15:15

Christ, no way to the holiday. He sounds massively irresponsible. It might be an idea to arrange contact through a contact centre for the time being. It doesn't sound like he has a clue about parenting.

Aloneandtrying · 27/06/2015 15:16

To be honest I would be terrified of him taking them abroad until they are teenagers! I have images of him sleeping on the beach while the 4 year old "looks after the two year old" :( sadly from my own experience of when it was "his turn" to keep an eye on them on our family holiday while I had a kip on the sun lounger after being up at 4 am with the youngest then age one. Luckily I kept one eye open as he fell asleep and left 3 year old and 1 year old unsupervised on the beach while he slept.

OP posts:
bobajob · 27/06/2015 15:21

However much of a shit he is, I don't think going in combatively is the easiest approach.

Don't say a flat out no to the holiday, just point out what a nightmare it will be with them both being up in the night and wetting the bed, suggest maybe next year. And make sure you keep hold of their passports.

DirtyDeedsD0neDirtCheap · 27/06/2015 15:26

wtf is wrong with these "men"

he doesn't deserve contact

useless twat

Aloneandtrying · 27/06/2015 15:27

Thank you sylvaniansatease that is really helpful. I will follow that advise, thank you

OP posts:
SylvaniansAtEase · 27/06/2015 15:27

Look, you have a LOT of say. In fact, as the parent with care - the resident parent - what you say basically goes, with a few considerations:

  • he is their dad and absolutely has the right to build and maintain a good relationship with them;
  • you don't have the right to stop contact completely;
  • safety is one thing, details of the way he parents are another - so for example, if he thinks feeding them ice cream for lunch every weekend is ok, that's kind of his business. You can't dictate the details.

But when it comes to their safety, all bets are off. Yes you can and absolutely should stop overnights, given what you say. They are being emotionally abused, put in danger and neglected. As long as you keep a paper trail which shows that you have spelled out to him that you're stopping overnights for safety reasons, and that you are suggesting safe alternatives, then all he can do is take you to court and although they may order overnights resume, you a. won't get in trouble and b. will be listened to and the order should tackle the issues you say are a problem. You are well within your rights - actually, it could be said that if you don't stop overnight contact for a toddler you know is being unfed, unsupervised and shouted at, that you're neglecting them yourself!

It's also a good idea to come down hard now on getting the message across to him that he doesn't get to do what he wants. He sounds like a selfish twat. Let him know that he either steps up, does the job properly, or he'll really have you to answer to.

And remember, when you hear 'I'll see you in court' the answer is 'Fantastic. If I had the money I'd be doing it myself, so it's great to hear that you'll foot the bill for these problems to come before a judge so we can sort something out. I've got recordings of DD1 telling me exactly what goes on, I've got dates and times, I've got my own details on your neglectful parenting from when we were together, so let me know when you're filing so I can get this huge lot of paperwork together for the hearing! Cheers!'

Aloneandtrying · 27/06/2015 15:32

Thank you so much sylvaniansatease that has made me feel a lot stronger to fight this knowing I am in fact in the right. His own mother said I was being over protective and I have to let him parent how he wants? She was an awful parent though and used to actually beat her son, date drug addicts etc........ I have already said to him he is not to leave dc with her when he has contact as I was scared of him doing this

OP posts:
ThumbWitchesAbroad · 27/06/2015 15:41

Er no, you're not being overprotective and you absolutely do NOT have to put up with him "parenting" (or in fact, not) "how he wants". IF he was actually doing the job, but doing it slightly differently to you, then fair enough - but he's not! Ignore her.

Northernlurker · 27/06/2015 16:41

I don't think he's heartless. He sounds like somebody who doesn't know how to parent. Yes the OP needs to keep the kids safe but there's absolutely no need at this point to go in all guns blazing shouting 'see you in court'. She can and should discuss the contact and adjust it considerably. I suspect he will be more than open to that. These two people have got to co-parent for the next 15+years. It will be better for the kids if a tradition of calm discussion and negotiation starts now.

SylvaniansAtEase · 27/06/2015 16:46

'Let me make this very clear, ExMIL. I am perfectly aware that it's Ex's right to parent our children as he sees fit. That however does NOT include neglecting to feed them, verbally abusing them, leaving them unsupervised and unsafe, and failing to care for their needs such as toileting. All of these things have been happening on his watch. I would suggest that instead of defending him, you thank your lucky stars that the DC have a mother who is not prepared to let harm come to the children and is going to sort this out so that they can see him without them being at risk. The alternative is that your precious son ends up in the papers as the father who was so busy playing his computer game that he didn't notice his two year old falling down the stairs. Or the father who spent years neglecting his children and eventually had to hear them tell him they no longer wanted to see him. If you're a real granny to them, you'll understand perfectly why I'm stopping overnights before they get hurt.'

BoyScout · 27/06/2015 16:53

a take away or beans on toast once a week doesn't hurt

Beans fine but a takeaway curry for a 2 and 4 year old? Never acceptable IMHO.

Aloneandtrying · 27/06/2015 17:01

Thank you, it's such a relief to know I'm not being unreasonable about this

OP posts:
bobajob · 27/06/2015 17:21

Why wouldn't takeaway (or restaurant) curry be acceptable?

TheHouseOnBellSt · 27/06/2015 17:28

Scout of course a curry is fine for a 2 year old! My DC have eaten them from time to time! They generally just have the naan bread and some rice with a bit of mild sauce....they don't bother with meat. Nothing wrong with it.

BoyScout · 27/06/2015 17:34

It's full of salt and butter and general shit. Cheap meat. Too spicy for small stomachs.

I'm not judging, I had one last night! But I wouldn't feed it to a toddler.

Rice and naan are ok, but she said curry.

sonjadog · 27/06/2015 17:37

If his mum was so useless he may not realise how poor his own effort is. Definitely follow up the ideas given above, but I would be open to more contact if he gets his act together and learns how to parent properly.

jellybeans · 27/06/2015 17:38

I would do what I had to to keep them safe. If it was not abusive but I was just unhappy I would try muddle though until they were more self sufficient rather than have to give them up to that every weekend. If it came to court, he would still likely get EOW.

bobajob · 27/06/2015 17:40

Children can eat spicy food, and butter Grin And even, shock horror, cheap meat! Lots of salt in every meal wouldn't be great but you don't have to avoid completely. It's quite a long way from "never acceptable".

SylvaniansAtEase · 27/06/2015 17:44

I think OP's point about the 'spicy takeaway curry after waiting an hour past their bedtime for it' is that it illustrates the wider point about her Ex being incapable of putting the children's needs first, of caring for them properly, of parenting.

Of course there's nothing inherently wrong about a takeaway curry for a two year old. Our one loves it. Do I make ours wait an hour after bedtime before I can be bothered to get it in, because I'm thinking of myself and when I want the curry rather than being aware that a two year old needs feeding at x time if they've had lunch at y and need to go to bed soon? Of course not. Do I make sure said curry is something they like, is not e.g. too spicy, too rich, something they won't eat? Of course I would (OP's implication is that the 'spicy' curry isn't something they'd like).

It's all part of a bigger picture of neglect at all levels, isn't it? Not watching. Not feeding. Not thinking of what they need and caring, nurturing. Not loving them, even - oh yes it's easy to say it - 'aww of course he loves 'em!' - but it's not true - a man who makes a four year old childmind a baby and then shouts if they can't do that impossible task doesn't love that four year old. A man who shouts at a baby for wetting itself doesn't love that baby. A parent who doesn't watch, who doesn't care, who can't see what the problem is is a DANGER to a child.

It's low level incapability, neglect, lack of care... right up to when it gets serious, when you have a baby not being supervised because its carer is glued to the laptop. Would you want your two year old in that situation? I wouldn't.

OP is doing the right thing. Absolutely there's no need to be confrontational. OP is aware that contact should be maintained and will hopefully look for ways to do that safely, and presumably that's what will be suggested, amicably and fairly. But there IS a need to be firm - to say - you cannot look after them adequately and I am not prepared, as the other parent, to not protect them from potential harm.

zipzap · 27/06/2015 17:47

A curry is fine for young children - if they like it.

If their dad buys a really strong one that they have difficulty eating then that is a problem. Both because they won't eat very much and still be hungry, and because if it's a really strong one and they are not used to it, then it's going to feel like it's burning them as they eat it, they're not going to know what's going on, and if their dad's bullying them to eat it so they're upset, it's all going to turn into an unpleasant meal.

If their dad were to buy them a korma say when he's having a vindaloo then no problem. And even if they didn't really like it - well unfortunately lots of kids don't like lots of things and sometimes they just have to eat it or go hungry. But if they've got to eat eg a vindaloo too, when they're not used to it - then that's very different.

I might be biased - I really don't like chilli heat or pepper in things - it makes my tongue swell. However dh loves curry and ds1 does too - he's built up gradually to eating the hotter ones over time, at his pace.

TheHouseOnBellSt · 27/06/2015 17:51

Scout What do you think Asian children eat if not spicy foods? Grin

A bit of butter in a sauce is fine. Salt...meh...now and then a drop of curry sauce on some rice won't see a child off.

But OP...YANBU at all!

DinosaursRoar · 27/06/2015 17:58

Curry is completely fine for small children, tis a very British idea that children can only eat bland food - bit too much salt in a takeaway curry for every night, but a once in a fortnight treat, fine.

Everything else, not fine. OP, I'd go for every Sunday contact rather than overnight.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 27/06/2015 18:07

If the follow the advice in that comprehensive message from a previous poster.the most likely result is a shit storm battle that you will lose and you will set yourself up for about a decade of tit for tat shit arguments it will not be amusing and it will not improve anything

Northernlurker · 27/06/2015 20:09

I agree needasock. It's just not needed at this point and I don't think it's helpful to chuck 'neglect' etc around either. The OP has the word of a probably quite upset 4 yr old to go on plus she knows the former partner hasn't got a clue about kids. Nevertheless he is their father and it's in their interests to have as good a relationship as possible with him.

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