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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Would you let your child sleep over at this persons house? [Trigger warning added by MNHQ: mentions of child abuse]

422 replies

GunpowderGelatine · 30/03/2019 08:35

Say you have a very close family member who is knowingly married to a peadophile. He has never been arrested, charged or convicted but only because his victim has never gone to the police, but the wife is aware of the accusations and you are 100% certain they're true.

Say your DD (6) has purposefully never met this man for this reason, but the wife visits from time to time but she has never looked after your DD alone.

If the wife - who again is very closely related to you - of the accused paedophile asked if she could have your DD overnight where she's staying nearby, what would you say? You don't suspect this woman of abuse yourself and and she is staying at another family members nearby, which is where the sleepover would happen? And, wether your answer is yes or no, what is the reason?

I ask because I am in this situation and without giving details (though I've posted before about this man) I need to know if I'm making the right decision in what I've decided about the sleepover

OP posts:
Pegsinarow · 30/03/2019 08:59

Nope! Her judgement is way off. It's her decision as to whether she stays married to a pedophile. But that decision has consequences.

Screamingontheinside · 30/03/2019 08:59

Is this a trick question?!? Ffs

beela · 30/03/2019 08:59

If you need to ask a bunch of random strangers on the Internet then you already know the answer.

BinaryStar · 30/03/2019 08:59

I would be saying no and refuse to explain or defend myself to her others

Berthatydfil · 30/03/2019 09:00

No never.

Gruzinkerbell1 · 30/03/2019 09:00

Nope. She’s happily standing by a known paedophile.

She wouldn’t have any contact at all if she was my “close family member”.

FogDog · 30/03/2019 09:02

No and I’m not sure why anyone would need to ask ‘shall I let my child have a sleepover with someone who has chosen to marry a paedophile?’

Dramatical · 30/03/2019 09:03

No and I’m not sure why anyone would need to ask ‘shall I let my child have a sleepover with someone who has chosen to marry a paedophile?’

OP has not said she is the parent.

I strongly suspect she is not.

BlytheofWindyWillows · 30/03/2019 09:03

Of course it's a no. I would not let my DD near either of them.

GunpowderGelatine · 30/03/2019 09:03

Thanks all. I’m pleased I’m not going mad as I agree with you all (and never once contemplated saying yes) but I knowthis person will make me think I’m being OTT

Hope I am not accused of drip feeding - the close female relative is my mum and the abuser is my stepdad. The victim is me.

I’ve posted extensively about this before, but essentially the facts are - he met my mum when I was 4, married her when I was 6 and there are a few vivid memories of sexual abuse as a child. When I was the age my DD is now, he forced me into giving him oral sex.

There are only a few memories of childhood abuse. But when I turned 16, until 3 years later when I left for uni, he sexually harassed me on a daily basis. This involved him standing in doorways masturbating as I walked last, walking into my room naked and masturbating, offering me £500 for sex, leaving sex toys around, leaving porn in my room, and speaking sexually to me through the walls. And so, so much more. I never told anyone but my mum found out not long before I left for uni. I didn’t tell her about the childhood abuse. She stayed with him and after I moved out they moved abroad.

After the initial finding out my mum basically swept it all under the carpet and pretended it didn’t happen. She even tried to force a father/daughter relationship into us. I silently hated him but tolerated this because of the love for my mum.

When I had my DD 6 years ago though things changed. I told her he’d never meet her - this was after an initial rush of her saying “oh he’s so so happy to be a grandad and can’t wait to meet the baby”. She was devastated, and was hospitalised with a “heart episode” after this. But he has never once met my kids, we don’t visit them and when she visits she visits alone. I am 99% sure she hasn’t told him that he’s never meeting the kids, though she says she has.

2 years ago she left him and came back to the UK. At this point I told her about the childhood sexual abuse including the forced oral sex. I wanted to be in a place where we talked about it openly but she couldn’t and would cry whenever I started a conversation. After a few months, she went back to him.

You’re probably thinking at this point - and it’s a question that’s been posed on here before - why aren’t I now NC with her? But it’s not that simple. She’s manipulative, and my only parent (my lovely dad died 6 years ago when I was pregnant). She recently came over and I took the opportunity yet again to try and get answers about the abuse, why she went back and what my abuser has said to her. She took that opportunity to tell me she recently attempted suicide - thus shutting the conversation dead and ensuring I don’t upset her further. She also basically said she went back to him 2 years ago because when she was back in the UK we didn’t make enough of an effort with her.

I don’t believe her about the suicide attempt BTW. She said she tried to gas herself in the car. She is the highest of all cowards and I don’t think she’d go through all the planning that kind of thing takes. And of course she started to do it then hero stepdad came to the rescue pulled her out and told her to think of me and the grandkids Hmm

Anyway after the last visit I started the process of going NC with her. I have an email in my drafts I’ve been composing for weeks, perfecting it to explain why I don’t want her in my life and whatever she does after this isn’t my fault. I also planned to go to the police after sending the NC email.

However my grandad, her dad, has been unwell so she’s booked an impromptu flight over. This delaying my NC plan! She messaged me to ask the other night if DD could sleep over at my grandads with her (without me) last night. I said no, she has ballet Saturday mornings. Went to my grandad’s to see them all last night, and she whispered in my DD’s ear “ask mummy if you can have a sleepover”. Which pissed me off because I already said no. I said no again and she said “what about any other night?”. I just said were busy until you go sorry.

What I wanted to say was that no she can’t sleep over because you clearly don’t think the sexual abuse of a 6yo is a big deal and whilst you’ve never abused yourself, you are not capable of protecting nor safeguarding a child of that very age. However I didn’t because my kids were there and also my grandad and he doesn’t know about the abuse (and is quite ill so could do without it). I’m meeting them today and she will ask again. I want to say the above, away from everyone. She’ll definitely cry and tell me I’m being ridiculous. I don’t want to risk anything, I don’t trust her not to FaceTime her husband or send him pictures of her.

To those saying "why do you even have to ask" - it took me 11 years to even realise what happened to me was abuse and not just stepdad "frightening me" which is what my mum describes it as. From age 19 when she found out, she has done a sterling job of acting like it never happened to the point our "normal" was like everyone else's normal. It's bloody odd to outsiders but I was happy to go along with the pretence because the shame victims feel kind of forces that. I have never, ever, ever put my children at risk. They have never met him, seen a picture, heard his name or even know granny is married. She has never so much as popped into shops with them alone. I have never, and will never, put them at risk

OP posts:
DullPortraits · 30/03/2019 09:03

No and do not let this woman have access to your child alone either.. she is an associated person to a pedophile and you can never ever be sure she would not allow him access to her or be manipulated into putting your child at risk! Keep well away.

CarolDanvers · 30/03/2019 09:03

Absolutely not.

FogDog · 30/03/2019 09:05

If the issue is that he, not her, is paedophile, just consider that she has sex with a man knowing he has a sexual interest in kids. Would make most normal people gag. Shows she is able to tolerate it. Like fuck would she ever be alone with my children.

Itssosunny · 30/03/2019 09:05

Don't let you DD to stay with that woman overnight (she is supporting a paedophile so she could be one too) and don't let her ever to look after your DD even at your house or like taking for a walk.

Charley50 · 30/03/2019 09:05

Nope!

FogDog · 30/03/2019 09:06

Sorry crossed posts and I’m sorry to hear what has happened to you

MrsRyanGosling15 · 30/03/2019 09:07

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

mindutopia · 30/03/2019 09:07

Oh and your reason is you won’t allow unsupervised overnights because you are uncomfortable trusting her judgment due to her minimising of her partners abuse. You can say that. You don’t have to be polite.

From my own experience, it’s important to make it clear that the boundaries set are because of the condoning of the abuse. Not because you don’t love whoever or wish your dc had a relationship with them, but 100% because of the choices they have made.

CaptainMyCaptain · 30/03/2019 09:07

No and I wouldn't have anything to do with her at all.

GunpowderGelatine · 30/03/2019 09:07

And for those asking my mum says she believes me but is trapped in the marriage because of financial reasons.

MN has been an amazing support network over the years for my experience, I hope to draw strength to drop the bombshell today that she'll never watch my children. She'll probably have another "heart episode" or something (which I felt horrendously guilty about the first time round) but I need to remember that this is a manipulation tactic to deviate and take attention away from her mistakes

OP posts:
Itssosunny · 30/03/2019 09:08

Hope I am not accused of drip feeding - the close female relative is my mum and the abuser is my stepdad. The victim is me.

Poor you, OP. Please move away from them.

CarolDanvers · 30/03/2019 09:08

Oh OP, poor you Sad. I totally get the confusion around it too. My mum was very violent to me growing up but seemed so different when I was older and had my children. There was a lot of confusion in my mind around whether I should let her look after them. These bonds are very hard to break.

Raylas · 30/03/2019 09:09

Oh op Flowers

When she's here, I hope that every time she starts the familiar manipulation, attempts to make you feel guilty (or worse, like you're overreacting) you come back here and that these posts give you the reassurance she never did.

darkriver19886 · 30/03/2019 09:10

OP I am so sorry! I was exactly where you were. I was very clear with my mother that my stepdad wasnt allowed within 100 feet of my children. She never took them alone and often made me feel guilty.

She was fully aware of what her husband had done.

Jeezoh · 30/03/2019 09:10

Not a chance in hell. And I hope you can go NC as your mum has let you down in an unimaginable way.