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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Not to visit my ill father

16 replies

crunchymommy · 07/11/2018 20:51

So really long winded and a lot of back story but ill try cut it short. To start my father took a disliking to my then boyfriend(now husband) so when I fell pregnant with our first child together my parents decided they'd see my first daughter but not my son with husband. I said absolutely not which resulted in him catching my husband with daughter outside her nursery and trying to take her from husbands arms. In the scuffle my father punched DD and bost her lip. School rang police and he was arrested. SS said they wouldn't get involved if I kept him away which I did. Fast forward through the years weve been to court, my father was denied contact by court. He's rang SS multiple times with false allegations but SS know immediately they're false as he has no contact with my daughter. Then in 2015 I lost a daughter at 19 weeks pregnant and he messaged my husband to say it was karma and now we knew what it felt like to lose someone we love. Now my DD has nightmares about him coming to get her and won't go anywhere she sees his very distinct van. The last I spoke to him he told me he'd never be proud of a fat mess like me. Am I now unreasonable to not want to drop everything and run to his bedside now hes had 2 heart attacks? Does that just erase everything? My aunty messaged me today to tell me I was pure evil and nasty but I'm acting in the best interest of DD. If they told me he was dying id be there to say goodbye but I dont want to make amends if he's going to be okay. AIBU?

OP posts:
milkmoustache · 07/11/2018 20:53

He sounds really vile. Don't be guilt-tripped. I could never forget or forgive what he said about your miscarriage.

Brenna24 · 07/11/2018 20:54

In those circumstances I wouldn't even go if he was dying. YANBU

Mum2jenny · 07/11/2018 20:57

Look after yourself first, then decide. I personally would be pleased if he passed as he seems to be a complete arse. But ultimately you must do what you think is right for you. Unfortunately it's only you that can make that decision. Flowers

JiltedJohnsJulie · 07/11/2018 20:57

YANBU OP Thanks

FadedRed · 07/11/2018 20:58

I wouldn't want anything to do with him or the rest of his enabling family again tbh.
Block 'Aunty' so she cannot continue to be his flying monkey.

Eilaianne · 07/11/2018 21:00

he doesn't deserve your time, energy or sympathy op.

ignore your aunt - she sounds as toxic as him. i'd tell her that she doesn't know the full story and to keep out of it, and if she didn't, i'd cut her out too.

you need to protect your DD from these vile relatives - just because they're connected to you by blood doesn't mean you owe them anything when they behave in this way.

Jengnr · 07/11/2018 21:00

He punched your daughter in the face. He’s made your life much more difficult than it needed to be and he is horrible to you.

People don’t stop being twats when they are ill. They just become ill twats.

0nTheEdge · 07/11/2018 21:05

If it were me personally, I'd steer clear. I've been through a lot with my own dad and I don't think I'd go in similar circumstances as I don't think people who can so easily hurt you like that wouldn't take any opportunity to do it again, no matter how much we might like to think they might want to make amends. I'm sorry you've gone through all that.

Skittlesandbeer · 07/11/2018 21:08

Going ‘no contact’ isn’t supposed to be some game with possible exemptions, that leaves you in a constant state of ‘Will I, won’t I?’

It’s a decision. One you make carefully, on the basis of sound evidence and hopefully professional advice (counsellor).

You aren’t under any obligation to justify it to relatives. Or discuss it with them. You sometimes have to drop contact with others who bug you about it, or be prepared to draw very firm boundaries that they won’t like.

There may be times you feel guilt, but you need to find other ways to deal with it. It doesn’t need to motivate you to action in his direction. Just recognise that you are feeling something, forgive yourself, do something nice for someone else (stranger, friend, other family) and move on.

Frankly, I’d be fairly hopeful he won’t be a problem much longer. But I’m pretty good at hardening my heart when people have broken every rule of love, trust & respect with me.

bastardkitty · 07/11/2018 21:10

Stay away. You could not owe him less. Look after yourself x

bruise · 07/11/2018 21:17

My circumstances are slightly different but I can relate to your experiences. I didn't have a good relationship with my father. He lived in Spain most of my life, stuck at the bottom of a bottle and addicted to sleeping tablets. There were times where he'd drink drive with us in the car - once nearly veering off the mountain road up to his Villa. He'd be drunk and dosed up on tablets while looking after me and my younger brother - once he tripped and smashed into a glass table, passed out, blood & glass everywhere, I was 12, in a foreign country and had no idea what to do. He would send us vile messages on Christmas day.

Around 15 years ago he had a health scare. Was in intensive care in Germany, with a tracheostomy because he couldn't breath for himself. We got a call to say he was going to die. We called him when he was conscious. We apologised for the lost time, his nurses told us the messages he was writing as we spoke. He pulled through. And absolutely nothing changed.

I hadn't seen him for 10+ years.

He died this April. I'm not going to lie, it has completely fucked with my head. My second son was just 2 weeks old but I jumped on a plane to Spain for the funeral - he was muslim so it had to be done quickly. I'm still dealing with all of this - I feel guilt, anger, pity but mostly I just feel sad. Sad about everything.

I'm not really sure why I'm telling you all of this. If I was in your shoes I probably wouldn't go see him. But I would just say should the worst happen, brace yourself - I had no idea I would feel like this.

Take care of yourself and your little family. That's most important right now x

crunchymommy · 07/11/2018 21:41

Thank you all so much. My mind is solidly made up but I was made to feel like id done something wrong by my aunt. I know ill probably have some mental battles with myself once hes passed but ill sleep soundly knowing I stood by what was absolutely right and safe for my children. Your reassurances have really helped.

OP posts:
0nTheEdge · 07/11/2018 22:08

Stay strong crunchy. I like to think we can give ourselves the stable family we need and didn't have by cutting the toxic people out and looking after ourselves and our children. I'm sure it will stir up a lot of feelings when the time comes. Please don't doubt yourself
Bruise: - sorry you're going through this. Do you have anyone you can talk to, to get it all out?

Feefeetrixabelle · 07/11/2018 22:12

If you feel it’s important that at the point where he’s dying to have made amends then go and do so now and walk away again. If that’s what you would need to do to have peace with yourself. I would be blocking any flying monkey that tried to tell me I should have contact with a man who injured my child.

Celestia26 · 07/11/2018 22:12

YANBU. What an awful person he is. And being ill doesn't change that.

You don't have to do anything you don't want to, and anyone trying to guilt you into it should be ashamed.

HelenUrth · 07/11/2018 22:33

Walk away with your head held high. And as others have advised, maybe block your aunt too.

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