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.

Schedule for co parenting

8 replies

Mabel1225 · 20/07/2024 11:01

I’ll try and keep this brief. Me and husband (refer to as H) are separated. He had an affair. We have a 9 month old together. I’m living in the family home and he lives with his parents (5 bed house so plenty of space). We officially split when baby was 6 months old. I have done 90% of looking after our child since he was born.

I'm still on maternity leave but about to start KIT days with work. I have proposed that we have a schedule in place moving forwards for him seeing our child as that makes life easier and more convenient for us all. Before he would just message the week before when he wanted him (well I would have to message him and constantly chase). He is a shift worker and works 4 on 4 off. I have suggested he has him 2 days/ 1 night around my KIT day (so he picks him up morning before kit day and then back with me evening of kit day). I chose all my kit days in the 4 days I know he’s off work. That way he gets 2 free days where he is work/ child free. And I get 1 day where I’m work/ child free.

He is saying that arrangement is not fair and doesn’t work for him. He wants to have him from the evening before my kit day until the evening of my kit day. He says he woudn’t feel confident having him for 2 days. If I thought that was a genuine reason then fair enough. But he’s never expressed not being confident with him before. He’s had him for 2 days/ 1 night on multiple occasions. He even asked to have him for 3 days and 2 nights a couple of weeks ago. He also lives with his mum and dad who can help out. The arrangement he wants means my only child free time would be the day I’m at work.

AIBU with my proposed schedule? He’s saying it needs to be a joint decision but I’m not happy with his counter proposal. I feel like my offer was more than fair for the both of us.

OP posts:
HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 20/07/2024 11:04

Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do, you cannot force him to have contact.

Whaleandsnail6 · 20/07/2024 11:05

Hes being massively unreasonable. Hes a father, he shouldnt just get to choose as and when he has responsibility of that.

There is 7 days in a week and he's only having his son for 2 of them and complaining at that. Tell him to grow up

BookArt · 20/07/2024 11:36

He is unreasonable. But he can't be forced to have him.

Save those messages. Apply for child maintenance. His tune will thr change and I wouldn't let him have more until he takes a more active role and a better mindset. Because after a CM application many decide they then need 50/50 because of money and not about the child/ren.

Crumpleton · 20/07/2024 11:44

He is being unreasonable.
The 'joint' decision he proposed doesn't work for you.

You're being unreasonable for assuming his parents can/will help out.

Doyoumind · 20/07/2024 11:45

I think you need to look beyond KIT days. You have at least 13 years of this ahead of you.

Mabel1225 · 20/07/2024 13:43

Crumpleton · 20/07/2024 11:44

He is being unreasonable.
The 'joint' decision he proposed doesn't work for you.

You're being unreasonable for assuming his parents can/will help out.

Thank you for your comment. Just to clear things up, I haven’t assumed that his parents will help out. I’m extremely close to his mum, she’s been/ is being amazing to me. She loves her grandchild and spends as much time as she possible can with him. She would have no issue helping.

OP posts:
Mabel1225 · 20/07/2024 13:45

Doyoumind · 20/07/2024 11:45

I think you need to look beyond KIT days. You have at least 13 years of this ahead of you.

I know, the idea was that this pattern would then also continue when I returned to work too.

OP posts:
PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 20/07/2024 13:50

if he’s saying no then you cannot force him to stick to that contact schedule.
I would arrange mediation, see what you can thrash out, and assume that you will need to be responsible for all of it.

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