Broke up with my wife (access to my 3 kids)

[Daddcares]

Ok so broke up from my wife Not going into too much detail except was few months ago i have a new partner and my wife point blank refuses for me to see the kids 5 year old twins boy /girl and 2 year old boy , unless she (wife) is with me

so im not allowed to take them to the park few min walk from their house or take them for a meal basically anything unless she's with us.

the reason given is she thinks i'm going to take them to meet my new partner (im not and have no intention to do so at the moment)

she wont answer the phone to allow me to speak tot the kids etc

yes im paying maintenance
no never been physical with either the kids or my wife
yes what i have done in ending the marriage is wrong but im genuinely upset every day about missing my kids and lack of contact


any experience /advise please help

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

No. But if a marriage is in trouble, handling it like an adult and ended it cleanly is likely to make life immeasurably easier for your kids.

I don't believe I'm staying together for the kids. But leaving for an OW heaps extra pain onto the situation (whether or not they know at that point ) so it certainly isn't putting them first.

[Fairenuff]

Reading back, when you say that you paid child support to illustrate how reasonable you've been, I do wonder why you thought that was a good example.

They are your children and you should support them until they are independant adults. The fact that you left their mother should not change that one iota.

I think that you are patting yourself on the back for doing that and that you think it merits some sort of acknowledgement or praise. Crap dads abandon their kids. So you're not a crap dad. Whoop de doop. I think you need to get over yourself on that point.

Also I think that the main reason you want to see the children on your own is because your new partner doesn't like you being with your ex. I don't think she trusts you because obviously she knows that you are a cheater and a liar. She's giving you grief about it and that's why you're putting pressure on your ex.

Go back to mediation and ask them what the procedure is when one party refuses it. You can probably get a court order for her to attend. But don't be an arse about it. You've shit all over your family, it will take time to sort out the mess you made.

What did you think about the impact on your children when you were with the ow?

[YonicScrewdriver]

"If you were genuinely upset you would get back there and try and rebuild your marriage."

I disagree with your conclusion, but even if OP wanted to do this, i would be surprised if his ex wife did.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

Goblin
"If you were genuinely upset you would get back there and try and rebuild your marriage."

You are assuming that the marriage was good before the affair.

[YonicScrewdriver]

I don't think it's relevant how the marriage was before the affair, and you've been on here long enough to know that script, Boney.

The marriage is over and OP has moved in with the OW. Advice should start from there.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

Yonic

I am in no way trying to excuse the affair.

But an unhappy home with two parents is not a good place to bring up a child or children.

I would like to think that we are long way away from staying together for the sake of the children.

I have friends who were brought up by parents who did that and the outcome wasn't good

[YonicScrewdriver]

Oh yy, I agree that either of them going back to the marriage would be disastrous.

[AcrossthePond55]

I don't need to hear the 'whole story'. I don't care if your wife was a raging bitch or a sanctimonious harpy. You cheated and there is never an excuse for that. The MANLY thing to have done would have been to have left the marriage when you realized you were no longer happy. And don't try to tell me that you were 'happy' in the marriage until you met the OW. Because that would be another lie. OK, got that off my chest.

You DO deserve to have a relationship with your children. My cousin's ex-husband was a lying cheat, but he was always a very good father. Paid his support on time, supported my cousin in parenting decisions, kept the OW away for (IIRC) a year, and kept to the contact schedule.

As a PP said, send a letter outlining what you want. I'd draft a simple letter outlining what contact you'd like to have (be realistic), a third party to be there that is acceptable to both of you and a time limit that you believe is necessary for that third party. I honestly don't think it's healthy for your wife or your children at this stage to be going out as a 'happy family'. As far as meeting the OW, that issue is up to you. I doubt your wife will ever agree to it. My cousin took almost 10 years before she could stand to be around her, and it's only in the last year she can admit that OW has been supportive of the children, and of her. Anyway, give your wife a reasonable time to decide, I'm sure she'll want to canvas her family/friends. If she doesn't respond in, say, 20 days then see a solicitor.

[Daddcares]

MissFitt68 Tue 01-Sep-15 18:33:35
How is she managing a new relationship without having the children meet him?

If she doesn't respond to the mediators then she will be deemed as being obstructive. The courts won't see it as 'she needs more time'

fairenuff it's not ok to keep 'seeing them as you are'.... She's being verbally abusive to him in front of dc

she has stopped me seeing them and they have all spent time together !!!

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

Your last post said she hadn't stopped you and you'd all been out on a number of occasions. Which is it.

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

'All ' meaning you, your ex and the kids.

[Theydontknowweknowtheyknow]

Look, there's no point being all holier than thou. What OP did was wrong and certainly explains his XW's anger. Her life has been turned upside down and she is probably worried about a lot of issues, a major one being her DC having a relationship with the woman who ruined her life.

But at the end of the day OP they are your kids and have a right to see you. I would keep on the "being understanding" route and try to convince her of your good intentions but set a date in your mind for when you will go down the legal route. In the meantime keep a note of all attempts at access, emails, maintenance payments etc in case you need them.

I hope you all find some peace and that your new partner is worth all this.

[SeasideSunshine]

By "all" I suspect he means his stbx wife and his ex friend. But let's remember that the ex friend is likely someone the dcs have known for quite some time and is nonthreatening. They will probably perceive the OW as threatening as she and the OP obliterated the dcs' happy family life.

Interestingly, you mention:

• her town, so obviously you live in a different town
  
• your new house, within a few months of separating?? Clearly either you've moved in with the OW (which is probably why she doesn't want you taking them to your house) or you've planned well in advance to dump her and go with OW and purchased another house (which is beyond despicable).
  
• your new family, so your OW has either a dc or dcs.
  

How do YOU think your children will feel to go to your house and see you playing happy families with your OW and her children, just a few short months after you've walked out on them? Do have any idea how it will affect them?? Have you even thought about it?

If this is the situation, how could you be so selfish as to think that they wouldn't be affected by that? Perhaps she is trying to alleviate that hurt for them while they are still adjusting to the new situation.

The fact that you're being vague about everything rather implies that you don't want the "whole story" to be discussed. But it has an impact on the situation and how people react to you.

The "happened to me" comment is very telling. This didn't "happen" to you. You chose this. And the whole "Daddcares" name? A dad who cares would not treat his children like this - cheating on their mum, walking out like that, moving right in with the OW and her family, and then expecting everyone else to fall in line. You've behaved badly, expect some fallout. Talk about entitled. It's all poor me - she won't let me see them, but you've said she has let you see them.

Maybe take a step back and think about your children and what's best for them, instead of thinking about yourself. Every post on here from you screams about blaming your ex and acting as you are a victim here. You are not. And the comment about her seeing your "ex friend"? Irrelevant. You cheated on her while you were married and together. She is seeing someone AFTER you walked out on her. Completely different situations. Hers was okay. Yours was not.

[BathtimeFunkster]

i have tried to do everything since the affair right

You don't get to reset the clock at the time of your choosing.

It is the height of hypocrisy to insist that the "children's needs" must be put first now that they conveniently align with your own.

Only a few months ago you were not considering their best interests when you destroyed their family in the most devastating and hurtful way possible.

But now that you've done it you are demanding that the person on the receiving end responds in the manner you deem appropriate.

You deeply hurt another human being and your response is to whine about how you are a victim of what happened too

You happened. You chose a course of action that was obviously going to be extremely damaging for your children. Don't put that on her.

You don't get to walk out of a marriage with small children, including a toddler, for a new lover and expect anything other than utter emotional carnage.

That's what you picked, so deal with it as an adult.

You failed to be remotely kind or considerate before. Try it now.

You failed to give a shit how your wife felt. Try that too.

You still fail to own up to what you did and the consequences for all the people you were meant to love and protect from harm. Have a think about that too.

Keep seeing your children as much as you can.

And make sure you have a home for them to go to that doesn't contain a woman whose only impact on their young lives has been harmful.

[Daddcares]

what can i say you have all made your mind up about me with very little info other than Yes i had a affair i came on here hoping for some sensible advise. yes i got that but also a lot of other comments

yes i had a affair
yes i know its wrong


thanks for the input to all that have taken the time too

[SeasideSunshine]

It's such a shame you weren't looking for sensible advice before you cheated on your wife and walked out on your family.

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

So you aren't going to answer my question about the inconsistencies?

Many of us have tried to give you constructive advice. But you seem to just want to feel sorry for yourself and present this as a tragedy that befell you.

I hope you resolve this. Remember in all of it that it's not about you and what you want. It's not about your ex and what she wants. Put your children's needs above all else and that will guide you to the right decisions.

[Daddcares]

So you aren't going to answer my question about the inconsistencies?hmm


what question ????

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

Below your previous post. You said you hadn't been stopped from seeing them (but your ex had to be there) then you said she'd stopped you seeing them.

[Daddcares]

i have on a number of occasions been stopped from seeing them but not overall

there was a occasion i was stopped seeing them and they spent the day with him instead

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

What was the reason she gave for cancelling?

[BathtimeFunkster]

Why is he your ex friend?

What happened between the two of you that ended your friendship.

You once valued him as a person, and now your estranged wife cares about him and trusts him.

Might your way back to being a trusted family member be through him?

He seems to be dealing with a lot of the mess you made.

[Daddcares]

he's my x friend cos when he fell of the fence he fell on her side he's a x friend through his choice

his wife is her bestfriend but he spends more time with my kids and x than i do so not sure how thats all working out

i have called and text but no answer so i dont think he can help

[SolidGoldBrass]

Hang on - first you say this ex-friend of yours is in a relationship with your ex wife, now you say he is married to your ex wife's best friend.
Is it the case that your friend left his wife for your ex wife? Or that this other couple are supporting your wife as they disapprove of your behaviour?

[Daddcares]

they are having their own problems so his answer is to drive my wife and kids to wales to our caravan and stay with them

so id say they are not supporting her