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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to expect my step children to be able to meet their new sister

143 replies

wayovermyhead · 24/09/2020 17:47

I have been with my partner for 4 years and we have a ds1 and a dd together who is 8 weeks old. He has 2 other children with his ex. Things have always been tense between them both, but just recently things have become very much worse. She is refusing to let him see his children unless he sees them at his mothers and is insisting that under no circumstances can they come to our house if I am there or to meet their new sister.

The reasons for this are constantly changing, including to many flies in the house although she has never been here, they are not fed enough, even though I feed them breakfast lunch and an evening meal which they have to eat at 4.30 as they leave at 5 to go home so rarely finish but who wants to eat that early? she claims I have an eating disorder and therefore mental health issues, which in reality was hypermesis with both pregnancies .

AIBU to expect her to accept he has another family as well as his first 2 children, that seeing their siblings is just as important as seeing their father and she shouldnt be able to dictate where my DP sees them.

OP posts:
MandosHatHair · 24/09/2020 17:51

YANBU, that's an awful thing for her to do.

gottakeeponmovin · 24/09/2020 17:52

Well yes - surely unless she has a court order she can't stop him from taking the kids where he wants

Scweltish · 24/09/2020 17:52

Why hasn’t he gone to court to get a contact order?

MidnightCitrus · 24/09/2020 17:54

@Scweltish

Why hasn’t he gone to court to get a contact order?
This!!
yoyo1234 · 24/09/2020 18:00

YANBU especially with "She is refusing to let him see his children unless he sees them at his mothers and is insisting that under no circumstances can they come to our house if I am there or to meet their new sister."

Lockdownseperation · 24/09/2020 18:02

He needs legal advice.

LadyEloise · 24/09/2020 18:02

Were you the "other woman" wayovermyhead ?
If you were, it might explain her animosity.

MzHz · 24/09/2020 18:03

Yet another pathetic bloke who won’t stand up for his kids.

Ffs!

MzHz · 24/09/2020 18:05

@LadyEloise

Were you the "other woman" wayovermyhead ? If you were, it might explain her animosity.
Tbf, it doesn’t matter even if she were, the father doesn’t get to be dictated to about where he can see his kids. Not like this.

She has no right to do this

Thisisnotnormal69 · 24/09/2020 18:05

Why has he not got a court order? Of course she’s unreasonable, those concerns aren’t legitimate at all from what you’ve said.

LunchBoxPolice · 24/09/2020 18:06

So what’s he doing about it?

Spied · 24/09/2020 18:06

Sorry, but how are you feeding them if they are not allowed to see you?

zoomzoghedgehog · 24/09/2020 18:07

Legal advice sharpish

wayovermyhead · 24/09/2020 18:07

No I was not the other woman, we met 2 years after they had been seperated.

OP posts:
LockdownMayhem · 24/09/2020 18:07

@LadyEloise

Were you the "other woman" wayovermyhead ? If you were, it might explain her animosity.
I was waiting for someone to ask this! Even if she was, it shouldn't allow her to use their children as pawns, just because she is angry (and if the OP were the OW, I would understand the anger, but it still doesn't excuse the behaviour).

OP, I echo the others and suggest getting a proper contact order in place to avoid these kind of random stipulations.

Darkstar4855 · 24/09/2020 18:08

He needs to stand up for his kids. She doesn’t get to dictate where he can take them and if she’s refusing contact then he needs to take her to court.

namechangeinamillion · 24/09/2020 18:11

He needs to get a court order as others have said. It's sad but it's the only way he'll have any control over the situation.

wayovermyhead · 24/09/2020 18:11

@MzHz

He has started mediation which is the first step before a court will hear his case so I feel that is a very unfair assumption

OP posts:
LastGoldenDaysOfSummer · 24/09/2020 18:13

So sick of the predictable "were you the OW" nonsense. Pointless post.

HaudYerWheeshtBawbag · 24/09/2020 18:15

Saying he needs to get a court order isn’t as easy as going to buy a loaf of bread Confused

Glad he’s taking the first steps, all you both can do is jump at her will until the mediation/court date.

Awful situation.

Ohalrightthen · 24/09/2020 18:16

YABU to insist anything, this is for your DP to manage. I'd stay out of it if i were you.

Cocomarine · 24/09/2020 18:18

I disagree that at this sort of age, meeting a new step sibling is more important that seeing their father. Their relationship with their father comes first. It all sounds rather rushed. What was the situation like are you had their first step sibling?

anorangeaday · 24/09/2020 18:18

Unless she has a court order she can’t really stop them can she?

equuscaballus · 24/09/2020 18:21

I have had this experience (I was not the OW either)

It took about six months before his ex got over herself and the situation resolved.

Friendsoftheearth · 24/09/2020 18:24

Your dp probably needs a court order, I am not sure this will resolve so easily, she seems to be changing the goal posts. Your SC deserve to feel at home and relaxed with their father, she sounds very jealous of you - I would get a court order.