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.

To stop coparenting with ex?

12 replies

pinheadlarry · 08/10/2022 15:42

My dd is autistic and shes not coping well in yr1, mainstream school,
ive decided that she might do better in a special school or a smaller class size because she is behind her classmates
Im also tired of sending her to a school where shes not being catered for and the teachers seem "exasperated" by her behaviours

The problem is, that her dad doesnt want her in a special school because his friend told him that they arent good and he thinks that she wont learn anything there,
i explained that this isnt the case and that shes not coping in mainstream anyway, so we need to try something different..

He threatened to stop seeing dd if i move her to a different school and i will feel his "wrath" ( his exact words)

I dont want to make a decision without him but hes not co operative
Hes not even offering a compromise hes just saying no, without any real good reason
I said she can go to a smaller class within her school or find a special school that maybe 100% better but no he disagrees
This is not something i just thought of, ive been contemplating moving her out of mainstream for a year now, i just wanted to see if she would settle
But its not getting any better and times running out
Aslong as she does the same curriculum as mainstream school, i dont see any negatives ..

He then started to blame me saying im not doing enough with her at home to help her writing and that shes not doing good in school because of me ( yes its always my fault of course everything is my fault)
I said i will put more time into helping her writing and how to hold a pen but its not going to change her situation at school,
it is her autism that is creating alot of difficulty with fitting in to a classroom
She cant sit still, or listen, shes not learning, kids dont want to be her friend
I dont want her to be treated like this when theres other options

Her dad thinks that autism can be "cured" and its not permanent
He hasnt attempted to learn about autism
He found a course about autism and sent me the link (why?) and told me to sign him up?? and i said no, he should do it himself but he didnt ..

Another thing he does that makes this difficult is he keeps blaming me for all dds difficult behaviour but At the same time taking credit for all her strengths??
He said i spend most time with her so all her difficulties are my own fault but anything good she does is because hes an amazing father , when hes not even around for the day to day ..

My dd can read very fluently at a young age, she had a natural ability to read just like i did at her age,
so i dont take all credit but i did read to her alot over the years
Because she couldnt talk, reading was one of the only things i could bond with her over,
But yesterday he claimed it was him who taught her to read ??
I just had to laugh it off
But it hurts that he blames me for everything negative and tries to take credit for things that are going well
He doesnt really do anything for her
He keeps offering to come and do homework with her in my house but i dont want him in my house really, i dont like him around me

Aibu to go ahead and make a decision with the special school?
Even if its mean he will stop seeing dd (he will)
She really loves him, i think it will damage her if he just stops seeing her and i know it will be his fault but he will turn it around on me and say "she wouldnt let me be involved"

This is really depressing

OP posts:
notdaddycool · 08/10/2022 15:45

Are there schools with an attached unit that could work for her? or get him to come and look round a school with you and discuss your daughter’s needs with the head?

whereisthejasmine · 08/10/2022 15:55

I think you should trust your judgement regarding best school for her and just do it. It doesn't sound like he's bringing much to the party anyway. If he stops seeing her for a bit you might find life calmer.

Cw112 · 08/10/2022 15:58

I'd maybe ask for a meeting with her current school that ex could be invited to to discuss options. If they feel she'd do better in a different school they'll be clear on that and it backs you up. If they can find other options within her current school that give her consistency but also meet her needs then that might be worth exploring before moving her anyways.

I will say though that using a threat to stop seeing her to get his own way says a lot about him as a parent and "feel his wrath" is intimidating. He's a dick. But I'd probably do my best to see if there is a suitable medium you can agree on. If not then I'd say you get final say since you do the majority of the parenting by the sounds of things. If he doesn't turn up to the meeting with the school then you go ahead and do what you feel is best and he can't complain since he didn't make the effort to go.

georgarina · 08/10/2022 16:01

He's going to stop seeing his child if he doesn't get his own way?

Fuck him. Do what's best for DD.

Devon01 · 08/10/2022 16:07

Is the coparenting a casual arrangement or court ordered?

If he was only disagreeing with what school DC attends, that may be a matter for discussion and compromise maybe. But saying he believes autism can be cured is pure ignorance. He's either ashamed of the diagnosis and doesn't want people knowing DC goes to a 'special' school and/or he's a very controlling, abusive man.

If he would consider cutting DC off purely based on what school they go to, is this something he's going to threaten throughout their life whenever he disagrees on a course of action? You and your DC can't continue giving into this 'man's' absurd control.

Your first concern and priority is your DC and if you're legally able, I'd make whatever decisions you feel are right. And if you have to, gather all the evidence you need regarding diagnosis and recommendations and go see a solicitor.

What is the school's opinion on whether DC should be taught there or not? It must be obvioud to them that DC is not thriving. Surely this should be taken into consideration too and they can talk to your ex

SpinningFloppa · 08/10/2022 16:10

Bare in mind you might not actually get a place in an sen school despite my daughter having an ehcp still can’t get her into one so it might not be as easy as you think

Mombie2016 · 08/10/2022 16:14

Ah one of those ex’s, I have one too. He claims that Autism doesn’t exist and that it’s caused by the MMR - pick a lane dude, you can’t believe both of those things!

Our DD is a teen now and barely sees him because he cannot accept her diagnosis. It came at 11, after years of me and her primary school trying and failing to get on the wait list. I went private in the end, and he thinks I “bought” a diagnosis.

AutumnPumpkinPicking · 08/10/2022 16:55

I think you’re completely doing the right thing however I do like the idea of having a meeting with the school with him there to discuss.

My child has a medical condition & when my ex & I disagree, I try to get the message to come from their medical team so it’s not him vs me, it’s us taking the experts’ advice.

Bluevelvetsofa · 08/10/2022 17:28

Does your DD have an EHCP?

Transferring from mainstream to special school isn’t the same as transferring from mainstream to mainstream. DD would have to meet the criteria for specialist provision and that’s not always easy. Have you spoken to the current school about the concerns you have? You say the school isn’t meeting her needs, but what have they actually put in place and what are you not happy with?

You could move her to another mainstream school that has a space, of course. If she’s reading well, is it writing and spelling that you think needs support? Does it include her behaviour in school?

CornishTiger · 08/10/2022 17:33

He threatened to stop seeing dd…

That would be the end of conversation for me right there. Does he pay maintenance. Bet he doesn’t.

MayMoveMayNot · 08/10/2022 17:33

georgarina · 08/10/2022 16:01

He's going to stop seeing his child if he doesn't get his own way?

Fuck him. Do what's best for DD.

This.

Soubriquet · 08/10/2022 17:33

What is best for your dd?

A school catered towards her needs where she gets specialist help but doesn’t see her dad (who might eventually come round anyway)

or

keeping her in a mainstream school where she’s likely to have more meltdowns because she cannot cope with all the sensory overload but it keeps her childish dad happy

I know what I would do

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread