My ex's parents want to take my twin DDs to Italy for two weeks. My girls are 13, they'll be almost 14 when they go. One week and a day of the trip will be in school holidays so it will require 4 days off school. I wouldn't normally agree with days off school, however their aunt is getting married and ex's family from Australia are all making the trip over (if it's relevant ex's mother is Italian, but ex grew up in Australia so thats one of the reasons the wedding is there. They have a huge amount of family in their GM's hometown.).
I'm happy for them to go. DD2 has some medical issues, but her GP's are very capable of dealing with her. They stay with their GP's semi-regularly (it used to be more, but they are teenagers are have parties/dance lessonsetc) and, again relevant imo, if ex has them and there are any issues with DD2's health he calls his mother to deal with it.
Ex is remarried and has three young children. He is in the military (probably not relevant, but he chose to sign up when the girls were babies and just after we split - so not a 'you knew what you were getting into' scenario for me) and isn't attending the wedding as he'll be away. His wife doesn't like his parents so she isn't going with their children. Absolutely fine, their choice.
However, he's decided he's not happy for the girls to go. This has been planned for ages, the girls want to go, they are looking forward to catching up with their Australian cousins (ex's brother still lives there, he has twin girls who mine are in regular Skype contact with) and I have absolutely no concern about GP's ability to care for them. His first objection was DD2's health, but GP's are more than able to cope. Then it was missing school, but I've already spoken to school and they are ok with it. They can't authorise it, but they have no issues with the girls missing the time because of the circumstances. Now his issue is that it's unfair on his children if their siblings go and they can't.
AIBU to basically ignore him? He doesn't want them to go because his younger kids aren't going, I would have sympathy if he always took all five children places, but he took his younger children to Australia two years ago and couldn't afford to take the girls (used school as the excuse, but admitted it was cost) and they holiday every year without our girls so I don't see why they should miss out.
Also, maybe relevant, maybe bitchy (I had a baby on Friday - he always finds something to kick off about when he finds out I'm pregnant, have a baby, get married etc) he doesn't have PR as he didn't want it, he's not on the girls' birth certificates and he hasn't actually seen them since January (he's had 3 weekends off that I know of in that time - two were spent with his wife's family at events that didn't include the girls and the last he and his wife had a romantic break away). On the other hand they've seen their grandparents at least once a fortnight. I facilitate their relationship with their grandparents because left to him they once went almost a year not seeing their GPs until his Mum wrote to me basically begging to see them.
I knew he'd kick off about something. I just knew it.