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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Aibu? Refusing visitation demands

35 replies

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 08:01

My ex and I separated in the new year, it's had its ups and downs, was very civil whilst we were still living together whilst we sorted our finances, we have a 3 y.o and kept things very amicable for her sake if not anyone else's. In may he moved back to his mums house 2 hours away and ever since has become incredibly nasty in the way he speaks to me, which is always via message. Name calling myself, my friends and family and just general rubbish. In spite of all of this I offered the visitation arrangement of a weekend at my house fortnightly twice, and the 3rd fortnight (so every 6 weeks) I will drive our daughter to London to spend the weekend with his family. I have a spare room in my house and I am the one out of the two of us that drives. I told him as long as he keeps his "keyboard warrior persona" back at his mums house I have no issue with him staying at my house, as I said things were once very amicable. He refused my offer and said unless I am to drive my daughter on alternate 2 week rotations to London, he simply won't see her as I am "not being fair". Our daughter only saw my exs family every 6 weeks before we split, which is why I made the suggestion in the first place. To top matters off, I have reached out for support from his family, even going as far as showing them the abuse I was being sent, all of my messages were read and ignored, bar one sister who told me effectively to just agree with his terms for an easy life, the same sister went on to message me a few days later telling me they had "arranged" for our daughter to be picked up the following weekend, and will tell me the details later on. I was not consulted in this at all and again was just "told" what to do, therefore I refused. I went on to send a message stating how disappointed I was that no one had contacted me to support me or ask how my daughter was, which was again ignored. After that I blocked my exs family on whatsapp, bar him of course. As far as I am concerned, if they are seeing his behaviour and turning a blind eye, they are condoning it. it is now at the point where my ex is using our daughter as a weapon, if I go out with a friend of mine he dislikes (which he has absolutely no business disliking, I would never put our child in danger, and the friend in question, I have known her twice the duration I have known my ex (12 years) he simply dislikes her because she called him out on his shit years ago and I never believed her) he will tell me he won't see our daughter that weekend because "how dare I let her see ""that bitch"" but not drive her to see her own family?(his side). He has used this excuse 3 fortnights on the trot, which tells me that this is in no way about our daughter, but more about (still) having control over my life, a long time after separating. This is affecting her, as much as I am trying to keep strong I feel under some sort of immense pressure and don't feel like I'm being my best self with all this stress going on, 3 weekends running she has been disappointed by her dad, she is almost 4 and is very aware, she knows the days he should be coming etc, only to be let down and upset and its me that is comforting her, no 3 year old should have to feel that way, it is at the point now where she is point blank refusing to speak to him on the phone, I have never and will never say a bad word about her dad to/in front of her, but I find it so hard to encourage her to call if it means (if it comes to it) he will end up upsetting her again. I am not comfortable at this time taking my daughter to his house every other weekend, especially after their actions proving that they have very little respect for me and the job I am doing, expecting me to just "put up" with his excessant name calling. Nor do I feel I should have to on the sole basis that because I own a car, I should. A return ticket can cost as low as £9 or as much as £25 which in the grand scheme of things is not a ridiculous amount of money when you're living at home on a full time wage, I have always offered to pick him up from the stations and drive him to my house, so money isn't the issue, it's his ego. I intend on keeping my stance as I think after all the shit I have endured I am being more than fair, and I know that if it were a case this ever went to court, after everything he has done whilst we were together he would definitely not get a better offer.

OP posts:
MaisyPops · 23/07/2017 08:07

Sorry to hear about that OP.
It sounds to me like he's being as awkward and as nasty to you as possible so you stop bringing your daughter to him and then he can claim 'nasty ex stopped me'.
I'd put money that he's already told his family that you're not allowing anything, you're stopping access, refusing to let daughter meet his family etc.

Call his bluff. Arrange for contact to be drawn up by a judge. Then he can't get funny about it and if (when!) he decides he can't be arsed, you can prove to your daughter that you tried.

Tofutti · 23/07/2017 08:10

What a bastard he is.

Don't drive your DD to see him or his family. He chos to move away, he should collect her from your house for visits. Just at the door, he doesn't get to come in.

Don't let him step a foot in your house ever again.

Don't let him text you anymore. Create an email account that is only for his emails so you can control when you see his messages. Change your number and don't give him or his family the new one.

Make sure he oays child maintenance! Go to CMS.

Good luck Flowers

44PumpLane · 23/07/2017 08:15

No helpful advice but I wanted to say you sound entirely reasonable in everything you've said.

I feel for you and your daughter and hope that things manage to sort themselves out- you sound like you're doing all the right things xx

Mumzypopz · 23/07/2017 10:31

Send him a message saying daughter is available X date and time. Please let me know if you will be coming to collect. If he answers with can you bring her? Answer is no. Then do the same the next weekend and the weekend after that. He comes to collect. End of.

Justhadmyhaircut · 23/07/2017 10:34

No better time to learn to drive imo. . .

Voiceforreason · 23/07/2017 10:47

I would agree that this could be better handled going down the legal route. That way it will be someone else's decision as to how contact might best be arranged. Also make it clear that from now on communication must be on a more formal basis i.e. arrangements over contact, and will not include any name calling or interfrrence in each other's lives.

Miserylovescompany2 · 23/07/2017 11:02

Yes, I appreciate that only one parent drives, however, that makes transporting a child very one sided. I would draw his attention to public transport..

He made a choice to move 2hrs away. It shouldn't be your sole responsibility to do transport.

I would seek legal advice.

I'd also communicate only by email. Send him a list of dates/times in which he can chose from. The pick up/drop off should be shared.

I wouldn't make your home available to him.

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 12:21

He was speaking to her every day on the phone so the only contact we were having is him messaging to see if she was free, he would then go on to ask our daughter questions sort of trying to get info out of her? If you know what I mean, obviously she doesn't understand but that's what it was to me listening in to the conversation. He would then messaging me shit about who I had seen, addressing my family with the first name "C**t", just general name calling etc, I don't really pay any attention. Same thing if I actually tried to arrange any sort of contact that wasn't what "he wanted" and said his stance is "not changing" so it is the case that if I don't come to London he just wont see her (we are in Nottingham). Last week after finding out we went to the park with said friend, he blocked my number for 3 days and then told me he was "testing me and clearly didn't care about him having a relationship with out daughter and I had no respect for him" but I'm a single student parent, I don't have the time to be chasing him after he's had a tantrum about who we've been out with and to be honest with you my daughter wasn't even arsed she hadn't spoke to him, like I said she never really expresses an interest in speaking to him full stop. I hate to see it go down this way because in spite of the way I've been treated he was a good dad and my daughter was missing him, it's very sad at 3 years old she's sort of asking for him less and less. He's told me in no way shape or form is he going to come here for a day visit, which again is completely on him but it does still sadden me. I am thinking of taking it to family court but he did say he won't be paying for anything, so if it involves money that won't be happening either, I think he knows (and i must admit in my one moment of anger at this whole thing I did say to him) that if he goes through court he would be very unlikely to get any overnights at all, and no judge on this earth would make me drive to London to accomodate those. If he ever wanted to see her in Nottingham I would happily taxi the two of them round no problem, but we are talking about 135 miles drive each way. I'm not even angry at this stage about how it's all happened so far, I (obviously) enjoy spending every day with my daughter it's just not the way I imagined my life to be.

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Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 12:25

I mean if this was my son/brother I would either a) beat the living crap out of him or b) cut him out of my life completely. I think the only thing that does anger me is the way his family have turned a blind eye but are still being played out to be the victims, they have always, even to as recently as last week, been invited to my house, in 4 years they've visited twice. Whereas when we were together, I would drive (or we would get the coach up before I had a car) every 6 weeks without fail.

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Gingerandgivingzerofucks · 23/07/2017 12:41

There was a thread on here recently where the court ordered the mum to drive her child to see the abusive ex, so be careful re saying no court will order you to drive her down. They can and might.

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 12:43

How in the holy fuck did that happen? I want to hope that that may be because she (rightfully) didn't offer him accommodation, which I am, I'll look for the thread but thank you for letting me know x

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LooksBetterWithAFilter · 23/07/2017 13:14

It does happen. My ex dh has to share transporting dss. Dss mum moved 600 miles away and wasn't bothered whether dss saw his dad or not. Her words were literally I didn't have a dad it didn't do me any harm. In the end it was decided through legal channels that they must share it between them entirely 50/50 one had to get up to his dad the other had to get him home to mum. It has been that way for 8 years now. So it may be that if it does go to court you end up with a similar set up.

LooksBetterWithAFilter · 23/07/2017 13:16

And it won't matter that you are offering accommodation either. Unless there is a good reason your dd shouldn't go to his family he won't be expected to stay with you either if they decide you can share it.

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 13:26

And how often was that if you don't mind me asking? Certainly not every other week surely?

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MandateMandy · 23/07/2017 13:29

Keep all messages and advise ex that you have done this. Get a solicitor. All further contact through solicitor. You may need to share transport of your poor daughter unfortunately. The problem with going to court is that more often than not neither side gets what they want and under different circumstances I would recommend mediation instead but i'm not sure your ex would be be prepared to negotiate. Good luck.

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 13:35

Is there anything I can actually do with a solicitor other than have them represent me if he decides to take me to court? I am already in touch with a solicitor to sort of explain the backstory. I've already offered to go to mediation with their advice, but he said no. Anything that I suggest to him is me "winning" fair or not, so he won't do it. He's said all this himself and I'm already keeping all his messages xx

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Butterymuffin · 23/07/2017 13:39

But in these other cases parents are being ordered to share the travelling, right? Not do it all, which is what he is demanding.

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 13:42

Exactly, yet another point he has made (yes he really is this much of a cock is that he will NEVER travel here just to take her back to London. Which is in theory exactly what he's expecting me to do, go figure

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MandateMandy · 23/07/2017 13:43

If anything you suggest is being refused what exactly is he suggesting?

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 13:45

He's suggesting I drive her to London every 2 weeks

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MandateMandy · 23/07/2017 13:46

Also stop telling your daughte that she is going to or even might see her dad. If he shows up it's a wonderful surprise for her. If he doesn't then she's not disappointed. I would also monitor phone calls in case he starts making promises he is not prepared to keep or tells her that you are stopping his visits. Only contact vis skype or facetime or if this isn't possible on speakerphone at the very least.

MandateMandy · 23/07/2017 13:51

So are these overnight visits? And is he expecting you to bring her home again?

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 13:52

Yeah they always FaceTime that's how I know he's asking her questions about me

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TalkinBoutNuthin · 23/07/2017 13:53

The thread Ginger is referring to, the mum has been made to do ALL the driving, not just sharing it.

Ajd94 · 23/07/2017 13:53

Yep! Both ways, overnight. So expecting me to travel 10 hours per weekend (5 hours there and back x2) how am i supposed to have any sort of life

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