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She makes me feel my daughter isn't my own! Do I confront her?

104 replies

Dinoraw · 31/05/2018 08:58

I Just want to say outright, this has hugely ruined my relationship with my daughter. Having ds with dp hasn't helped as much either. I love my ds to bits, as I do my dd. But ds and dp have had huge trouble bonding and it's making dp really depressed so I do everything for ds. He tries but ds screams, scratches himself and will scream on dp til he's back with me.

So dd situation. DP's nan. She lost her daughter, he lost his mum to an illness when he was 16. His nan is over all the time being inappropriate but that's a different thread. She really upsets me. Dp has gone mental at her before for it but she never listens.
So dd. When we learnt we were pregnant with her, she told us straight away to have an abortion.
So that really ruined both of our relationship with her. When dd was born she was straight over to the hospital. I wanted no one there apart from me and dp luckily she wasn't let in. So someone bought her over the next day without asking. She wouldn't give her back so I could breastfeed, nothing.

So dd is older now and she looks like dp. (who looks like his mum). And all I get when she's round or when we are out together is pushed out and to make tea. I get she wants time with her, but ds doesn't get a single look in. I feel sorry for my ds. No one bothers and if anything, he needs cuddles etc more. Dd is incredibly independent and doesn't want to be cuddled. Yet ds is always overlooked. I take on a lot of this, I always have him and now I never get time with dd. I'm fed up. All she wants is dp now. For everything. She doesn't want me.
Then his nan chips in. "oh look, she's all her daddy!" "Daddy girl" and my favourite of the lot "yes, you breastfed her. So obviously it was rocky with ds and dp. That's why their relationship doesn't work. You didn't breastfeed dd" (I wonder why I didn't breastfeed dd 🙄) an then "she's not your child. She's his"
I'm really getting pissed off now. We're going on a day out next week with the kids and he's invited her and I almost want to fucking not go. She pushes me out the way so me and ds are left on our own. I just wanted a day with my kids.
An now Christmas..
My mom is jetting off to Australia for her DP's job on boxing day. He wanted to fly Christmas day so she's made him move it to boxing day so she can see me and the kids. Nope. Now I found out dp has arranged to go to his families. Bear it in mind, they're horrible people, he doesn't feel like he fits in, neither do I. An now my mom after loosing her son will be sat on her own crying no one has bothered with her. I don't see the point of going over to his. It's a long way. We don't drive and have two young kids to drag around drunk people and no where to stay. I so desperately want to be with my mom. I addressed all this yesterday with dp. He won't do anything about his nan and what she says (he's chuffed with daddies girl) and told me I can't seperate our family to be with my lonely mom with no one else Xmas day. They have their family. Myself and my mom have no one else. I wish I could take ds and just stay with my mom. Dd doesn't want me now. I'm gutted

OP posts:
TopofthePops · 31/05/2018 14:10

I did say I'd take ds to my mom's for Christmas and he could take dd. But no. I'm splitting the family up apparently

Why does he get to make all the decisions. Your mother is going to the other end of the world ffs, of course you want to spend it with her and she want to see her GC. I couldn't live with this level of interference from his nan. The fact she reported you or threatened to report you, would have been the end for me. Start making your own rules about how much time nan gets with your DC, otherwise this whole situation will get worse and worse.

By the way, I thought your opening post was perfectly clear...I don't know why people had such an issue with it.

BuggeringNora · 31/05/2018 14:19

Sympathies OP, it sounds bloody hard. Can't help thinking that a lot of your problems would be solved if your DP got off his arse and got another job, even if it was temporary, seasonal or zero hours contract. DD would then have to bond with you as he'd be out of the picture. Is he looking?

Narnia72 · 31/05/2018 14:26

Oh lovely, you sound so sad and at the end of your tether. I want to give you a hug!

Ok, so baby steps.

First of all, your DS is TINY! Teeny tiny and totally reliant on you for all his needs. My middle child wouldn't go to anyone else for 18 months, but when all of them were that little, they just wanted me. My DH always found this stage difficult because they just wanted to be held by me. I bf them all and I think they found the comfort in the smell and the familiarity.

BUT - it didn't last. Probably around the 3 month mark, slightly different with each child, but they all became a lot more interactive, interested in their surroundings and a lot happier to go to daddy. They started smiling, which helped with the bond with DH and they didn't need milk every 2 minutes, and their sleeping patterns became more regular. Hold on, it will improve.

Things that you can do proactively to help. Say to DH - we need x from the shops. Please take DS in the pram to get it. He may scream all the way there and back, but in reality he'll probably be lulled to sleep by the movement of the pram. It helps if you've just fed him and he's sleepy. Give him a purpose.

Then - I need to take DD for a haircut, shoes fitting, we're going to the park for half an hour. Think of things you two can do together that are fun. Say you need this time with DD and it will only be half an hour. Then escape. It will give DD time to herself with you and help massively. No excuses with DH. Tell him you need this time with her.

With the Nan, boundaries are all. So next time she comes, give her things to do. Here, please can you hold DS whilst me and DD make the tea/change her nappy/read a book. Plonk him on her knee and make a swift exit with your DD.

When she's going say, we'd love to see you on xx. Set the rules yourself. If she says I'm coming over tomorrow, say I'm sorry, that's not convenient. But we'd love to see you on Saturday. Then stretch the days out until it's something that works for you. Say you want to establish Sunday lunch with her on a weekly basis, or Friday night film night, or swimming on a Saturday. Again, think of the way it's manageable for you and baby steps.

Re Christmas, I would park the discussion for now. You're tired, and hormones are flying around your body. I remember feeling like the world had ended about 6 weeks in. I don't know what happens post pregnancy, but for me it was a really tough time. Again, I began to feel much more in control around the 3 month mark.

Don't talk to anyone about it. Your mum or your DP.

Make a decision to broach it in September. It gives you time to come up with a plan that suits you, and your routines with your DS will be a lot more established.

In your position, I would be tempted to invite your mum and your nan to you for Christmas. If she says no, she wants to be with the aunt's family, say that's fine we'll see you on boxing day.

When the time is right for the discussion with DH, say I'm not prepared to leave mum home alone. This is a plan that works for everyone. Mum can stay over on Christmas Eve and nan can come for Christmas meal, which we'll have at 4pm. (The reason for this is it's a fabulous time to have a main meal for little ones. We got into this when ours were little. Close enough to their normal tea time, and meant that we could have our starters whilst they played (no interest in starters) and then all have our main meal together. We'd then feed them a child friendly desert, and they'd crash around 7pm, when we'd have dessert).

Tell your DH that it's no fun for anyone if the kids are dragged around on Christmas Day and this way everyone can have naps when they need them and go to bed in their own beds when they're tired.

You're not saying no to nan, but you're letting her be involved on your terms. It sounds like he doesn't care about the aunt and family so they can sod off, and nan can choose who she wants to spend Christmas Day with.

Hope this helps a bit lovely, but leave contentious discussions until you're a bit more recovered and have the stamina to put your foot down.

LemonysSnicket · 31/05/2018 19:34

Well, I'd tell him fuck off you're seeing your mum on Xmas. If he can make plans without asking you then you can change them.

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