Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Grandad won't stop play fighting with son, ended in injury

225 replies

MrMakersFartyParty · 02/01/2019 10:41

My son is 2 and my father always plays rough with him, flinging him about onto the sofa, tickling (past the point where my son clearly can't handle it and can barely breathe), holding him upside down and he holds him by his wrists and allows him to climb up his body. I have repeatedly said no to the play fighting because I have noticed my son being out of control, hyped up, and recently sometimes hitting (never ever does this any other time). I have also said under no circumstances is he to hold him by the arms or wrists because he actually dislocated my arms when i was a child doing the same thing.
Every other visit it is like he "forgets" and I have to intervene and then he says "oh we have to stop mummy doesn't like it", no you have to stop because you're going to break his frigging arms!
I don't want to micro manage their relationship but it's really getting me down, my son is naughty after he visits and i am terrified he's going to damage his hands and arms. My son has also started to try and play rough with his younger siblings and has ended up hurting them quite a bit now (accidentally).
In my house I am able to intervene, however he also goes to his nannas for play dates (not childcare) and my dad is there and his nan has promised that she won't allow it but I have seen photos on facebook of my son being held and swung by his wrists again.

I feel so powerless and i don't know how to handle this. my dad goes funny if i question anything he does and i have to really tread on eggshells with him. I don't know what to do because i have said "i don't want you to do that, stop, no" etc but when he "forgets" it's too late and i am worried about the consequences.

My son is starting to think i'm horrible because i'm always ruining their "fun".

OP posts:
Hannnnnnnxo · 05/01/2019 06:24

Whilst your dad is 100% a problem and a shit parent/grandparent - your mother is complicit by inviting him over and not being assertive to protect your son. Therefore you’re doing the right thing by restricting access with your children and your trash parents. You don’t want your children being victims of the same crap you went through at the hands of your parents growing up (even just emotional abuse) - you also don’t want your son growing up and terrorising other toddlers at playgroup/nursery/school etc.

Consolidateyourloins · 05/01/2019 06:48

@JustABetterPlayer

The poster @Wordthe made a valid point that the df is encouraging a dynamic of women being passive. You made the idiotic remark that women sit passively because they lack upper body strength and coordination.

You also say 'mine and every child I’ve ever known has loved playing rough and being flung around by dad/grandad/god parent. It’s generally the child themselves that cause their own injuries'.

So you fling a child about and then blame them for causing their own injuriries?!! That's sociopathic and I feel sorry for your wife and children.

Even your username is cringe.

MeridianB · 05/01/2019 07:03

OP, just RTFT and think you’re 100% right and admire your courage for taking a rock solid stand on this in the face of years of difficult relationships with your dad (and mum).

I hope your little one is feeling better and nothing is fractured.

This is ringing bells for me and I do think your dad sounds like a controlling bully. For him this is about power over someone smaller and weaker - a pattern which extends to your mother - and is deeply unpleasant. Crucial to protect your children from this. Great that you are stopping the play dates at your mum’s and inviting her to yours.

I suspect there may be more challenges to your authority (like the shoes thing) in coming months as your father tries to reassert himself.

Caron2ds · 05/01/2019 07:19

Well done OP on stopping this awful behaviour.
When children get swung by people grabbing them by their hands it can dislodge their epiphyseal plate. ( growth plate) These plates do not close until a child reaches 16-21. ( Hence not allowed to lift weights etc without expert supervision. ) These plates exist at each end of all long bones.
All posters who think this rough play is ok are dangerously stupid.
I hope your son is ok and that you manage to keep him away from your dad, always.

PaulHollywoodsSexGut · 05/01/2019 07:24

@Mummysharkdoodoodoo and @justabetterplayer seem to have shared the same bag of glue it seems

Veganforlife · 05/01/2019 07:43

Yep I was told I was too sensitive,you give up complaining after a while.he was master of his home..and as such did as he pleased.his pet name for me was chubby ,and I was fat ,so obviously I hated it.he walked round naked frequently.quite why my mother thought her 12 year old daughter needed to see her step father naked is beyond me.the fucking thing would be swinging in the breeze while he talked to me.i could put so much more ,but it would out me.

Consolidateyourloins · 05/01/2019 07:52

@Veganforlife

What an absolute cunt he was, and your mum enabled him it seems. I'm so sorry you went throught that. I hope you don't have to be in contact anymore?

Veganforlife · 05/01/2019 08:00

I always knew if my mother died I'd have to take over as his wife...I worried myself sick about that for years..I left home at 18 and never went back for longer than a flying visit.i went nc after a while

Veganforlife · 05/01/2019 08:06

I remember his grinning face one day...he had wine in the fridge I'd been drinking it ( you were not allowed to eat or drink any of his food).. and he gleefully told me he had been urinating in it ,and that each time I'd taken some he'd topped it up with wee .

Consolidateyourloins · 05/01/2019 08:06

Take over as his wife? I hope that doesn't mean what I think it means Sad

Well done for going NC Flowers

MrMakersFartyParty · 05/01/2019 08:10

I came back to update that I've spoken to my dad and made it clear that there's zero tolerance now for any disobeying of our rules and there is to be no more rough play at all or tickling. I also told him that I'm totally disappointed in myself for not being firmer sooner and that if he ignores me again we will have to go NC.

@veganforlife I'm so sorry for what you had to go through! That sounds terrible.

@Missingstreetlife "mum is to blame" &
@bumblebeee agreeing, honestly just frig off.

I'm not going to return to this thread as I was feeling positive, but comments like the above are just really triggering for me and I feel rather low now, I know I let my son down.
Thanks for all the helpful advice.

OP posts:
Consolidateyourloins · 05/01/2019 08:11

Oh my God, he was actually evil :(

Hopefully there's a hell for people like him.

Veganforlife · 05/01/2019 08:19

Sorry op ,didn't mean to bring you down...just reading your thread brought it all back..well done for standing up to him .💐

MrMakersFartyParty · 05/01/2019 08:21

Vegan it's not your comments! The ones I linked I meant. I am so so sorry for you, youre not triggering me at all honestly. It's the ones who have literally blamed me for all of this with my dad.

OP posts:
Coffeebean76 · 05/01/2019 08:24

What a horrible nasty man. Good for you for standing up to him.

littlecabbage · 05/01/2019 08:28

Sorry I haven't read the full thread, but you are absolutely right to stop your Dad's behaviour. Your poor son. Tickling is bullying behaviour which elicits a reflex laughter (even when the victim is hating it):

www-thelist-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.thelist.com/108528/tickling-kids-okay/?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&amp=1&usqp=mq331AQECAFYAQ%3D%3D#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thelist.com%2F108528%2Ftickling-kids-okay%2F

Veganforlife · 05/01/2019 08:31

Oh dear ,sorry op..really really well done ,and don't doubt yourself.i only wish my mother had been like you ,and put her child first as you are doing .x

littlecabbage · 05/01/2019 08:32

Just seen the bit where you have said all visits will be at your house. Good for you, you've done the right thing for your son.

ThePollutedShadesOfPemberley · 05/01/2019 08:42

Good for you OP. I used to work with someone that did this to his own three DDs. Eventually the SS were brought in because they all had dislocated arms, elbows and shoulders once too often. He is a professional person and I think it was let go on for too long as a result of this too. He was an obnoxious bully when I worked with him but he is at the top of his profession right now and everyone thinks he is a god. I think at best he has a personality disorder.

Marcipex · 05/01/2019 08:43

Excellent work op. You've broken the pattern. It's not easy but you are strong. Well done.

Vegan Flowers

picklemebaubles · 05/01/2019 08:58

Don't let the idiots get you down, almost everyone on here understands your situation.

One thing- your DS doesn't need a relationship with his Granddad. He can't understand how damaging the man is, so the fact he loves him is neither here nor there.
Reduce contact with him, then cut him out completely. He is continuing to control and abuse you and now your son.

BumbleBeee69 · 05/01/2019 20:08

Stop the abuse OP.

JamPasty · 05/01/2019 20:35

@BumbleBeee69 - RTFT

LaBelleSausage · 05/01/2019 20:38

Well done OP, that can’t have been easy to do

BackBoiler · 05/01/2019 20:49

I used to beg my uncle (my aunts husband) as a kid to twist my skin in on my forearm until it stung and went red. I would scream and cry and when he stopped I would laugh and ask him to do it again!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page