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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Did DP overreact or am I?

80 replies

User964667 · 16/08/2020 07:37

I've massively fallen out with my partner and need to know if I'm overreacting or not. Weve been together 4 years and lived together nearly a year, both have 12yo dds who generally get along well, but he doesn't discipline his at all. Literally never tells her off for anything. If he says anything she doesn't like she refuses to visit (eg my dd leaves her phone on charge downstairs at night, his is on hers until the early hours. If she's especially tired and grumpy and asks her to put her phone away for the night she will sob and refuse to visit for the next 2 weekends). She is an incredibly fussy eater so we have to make her a separate meal, and she will often make vomit noises at the rest of our food, say it smells disgusting etc. He will just very mildly say "Oh come on, please don't say that, its nice I promise" etc and not stop her, whereas I would never allow my dd to behave like that. Its not that hes harsh on my dd - its not his business to discipline her and he knows that. But these are just 2 of a million examples and its draining. Didnt realise he was like this with her until they moved in here, and every time she comes to stay I lose more respect for him.

So yesterday our dds argued about something and his dd picked my dds ring light up and threw it at the wall, smashing it. DP just said "Oh it must have been an accident, she wouldn't have meant it, never mind" etc - didn't even ask her to apologise, although he did say he would buy a new one. When ordering it he asked his dd did she want one of her own and bought them both one, which really annoyed me as she got a reward for breaking something, but I left it and just comforted my dd.

Then about an hour after that he went outside to discover one of the chairs of our new garden furniture is broken. The girls had been dancing on them earlier and I assume one of them has put their foot through the chair somehow. It almost certainly was them but he has no proof, and I'm sure it wasn't deliberate. Well he went absolutely ballistic, roared at them both and demanded both their phones, said they weren't having them back for a week (his dd was already going back to her mums that night so he couldn't have followed through, but I dont do empty threats so I assume he thought my dds punishment would be carried on while his wouldnt). Made them both cry - hes usually very passive so we were all shocked. I came in and told him to stop being ridiculous, he didn't know it was them and even if he did it was a huge overreaction to an accident, especially bearing in mind his earlier reaction to the light being thrown. He accused me of undermining him and refused to give the phones back, tried to leave with my dds phone in his pocket. I told him not to come back until he's calm and ready to apologise and he stayed out last night.

I need to get rid of him dont I? The total lack of parenting is bad enough but when he reacts like that to something of HIS being broken then it just makes the whole thing even worse. For context the garden furniture was expensive and he just spent his bonus from work on it 2 weeks ago, but I dont think that matters, his reaction was still ridiculous

OP posts:
AnneLovesGilbert · 17/08/2020 08:00

You’re doing the right thing. Sorry it hasn’t turned out as you’d hoped.

Nanny0gg · 17/08/2020 09:06

[quote User964667]@Livelovebehappy thats summed it up exactly. She doesn't have a happy life at home either, her mum is a heavy drinker and has a new boyfriend every few months who often move in, and two that we know of have been violent. His dd struggles at school and with friendships, her only interests seem to be online games and YouTube. I do understand why he's soft with her which is why I've stayed out of it as much as I have, but hes not doing her any favours at all, and now that its starting to affect my dd I just need to take us out of the situation. You're right, I know in my heart it's not going to get better.[/quote]
So can't he have her more?

She might be happier with a settled life and he might be less of a Disney dad

GabriellaMontez · 17/08/2020 09:24

It's no way for your daughter and you to live. Glad you're going to call time on this.

Sympathy for his dd. Her parents are letting her down.

Whatevesok · 17/08/2020 09:30

You can't continue to let your daughter be exposed to this. There's the going off on one quite unpredictably. Then there's constantly being treated more harshly than her step sibling/his child. Sound like an unpleasant person sorry.

User964667 · 17/08/2020 09:36

Thanks everyone so much.

I just want to say shes not a horrible brat at all, shes got a really lovely side to her and is often very sweet. She's just not got any boundaries and that's not her fault. Her and dd are best friends a lot of the time and weve had some lovely times together, as well as many other days that her behaviour has spoiled. But none of this is her fault, she's only 12.

@Nanny0gg hes tried and tried to increase contact, but we don't have a PlayStation and she doesn't want to be away from it for more than one night a week. He has considered buying one just to get her here more but we have 1 TV so she would be on it constantly playing violent games or crying to be on it - just not worth it. At least when shes on her phone non stop its not affecting the rest of us. The alternative of breaking the addiction entirely doesnt seem to have occurred to either parent.

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