Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to want peaceful enjoyment from ex on holiday?

3 replies

PeacefulEnjoyment · 14/08/2024 21:14

My ex was abusive and I'm glad we are no longer apart, but there are children involved and although they live with me, they visit their father on a 80:20 ratio only during daytime. In between he might call them once a week or 24hrs before their visit to confirm timings.

One of his abuse tactics was to be very controlling and it feels he seeks to continue this even though we are no longer together. When we are on holiday he calls every other day and asks to FaceTime to see inside our apartment, quizzes them about their plans and feels like he's here with us when he's not.

The children wouldn't have this contact the same way if it were to them and I'm very careful to make it clear the relationship with him might be very different than mine as the ex, and I am sure to give them as much access as they wish with my full blessing. But this is all about HIM and not them, and they sometimes feel upset after he's called which I don't want on our holiday.

Does anyone else have this and how do you deal with it? Luckily for me DC found it too intrusive to FaceTime and spoke on the phone when he called but sent photos instead. But their Dad is pretty persuasive and doesn't usually give up that easily so I don't know whether IABU to say you can call once but please leave us to our quiet enjoyment and if they want to call you then they have their phones and they absolutely can, if they choose to.

OP posts:
Aheadfullofwords · 14/08/2024 21:31

Yeah it's definitely a control thing. So from now on, ignore the calls, and just fire off a quick message of: The kids will speak to you and tell you all about the holiday when they get back. They are busy enjoying themselves and soaking up the atmosphere. And then just either temporarily block him, or just ignore him.

TomatoSandwiches · 14/08/2024 21:36

Teach your children to stand up for themselves and how to be confident saying no to him.
Stick to the typical days you would phone him and ignore the rest.

PeacefulEnjoyment · 15/08/2024 08:28

I think what makes it difficult is that I am trying to support their relationship with their Dad but also teach them to have a voice, and theses things take time. Meanwhile they have a phone he reaches them on and they don't feel they can say no very easily. They want to be nice and feel guilty when they are 'rejecting' him, even though I continually teach the difference between rejection and apropriate boundaries

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