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Divorce/separation

Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

DC do not want to see exdh..what do I do ?

9 replies

Winona45 · 12/11/2019 11:27

Separated from DH in July. He has moved to his mothers.
Instigated by me but a long time coming. He hadnt worked in 15 years due to CFS and contributed very little to family life both financially and emotionally. He also started to have mental health issues and suffered a paranoid psychosis that he believes is real and has stopped taking medication.
I have found it very difficult as we were together over 20 years and the guilt has been immense. He has taken it very badly and has reacted very angrily and in some cases abusively.

My 3 DC aged 8 to 16 have seen him intermitently when taken there by a relative. He will not drive to collect them. He says it is his illness making him too weak but I suspect its also parnoia as he has only left the house 4 times in the last 5 months.
They have been seeing him on a weekday evening and a saturday afternoon but it has begun to be strained. He does not take them anywhere, and they spend the visit in one room driven there and back by relatives. The last visit he spent his time on his phone on a dating app and insisted on showing the elder two dc despite them saying they were uncomfortable and asking him to stop. Eldest dc started crying. He told them mthat was the new reality and it was my fault they were in this situation.

He speaks innapropriately and runs me down. He texts them and tells them that I have thown him out like a piece of shit.
He uses a fair amount of emotional blackmail and has told them that at some point they will have to choose who to live with etc.

After last weeks visit when they called me to ask to come home early I insisted he drive them home. He did but then proceeded to come into the house and remove the tv as he stated that he had paid for it.
He was angry that they asked to leave him early and told them he was busy the following week so they couldnt see him and that he wouldnt be texting or calling them again, they they should contact him !

It has now been 10 days since any contact between dh or dc. DC do not want to see him presently. They feel sad and uncomfortable with how he is behaving.
DH hasnt text or called them either.

I dont know what to do ?
I feel horrendously sad and guilty that our seperation is making him behave like this but he cannot do this to the children.
Should I suggest they call him ?
Should I just stop all contact ?
Am I allowed to do that ?

Please help....

OP posts:
MummytoCSJH · 12/11/2019 11:30

Sounds awful, sorry you're going through this! If he hasn't contacted them that's not you stopping contact! He needs to make an effort and realise his actions have upset his children. I'd do nothing. He contacts, he arranges it with them and they want to go, fine. Otherwise, no. They're old enough to know if they're comfortable contacting/seeing him or not.

VimFuego101 · 12/11/2019 11:40

If he hasn't contacted them that's not you stopping contact!

This^^

I would do nothing, don't contact him, give your children a break from him until they express an interest in seeing him again.

Winona45 · 12/11/2019 12:17

I text him yesterday asking what was happening with the children and he has replied the following:
" What about the kids, everyone does this shit.Its great and easy right !
Your words not mine !
I wanted to sort this shit out, this is where we are.

The kids will have to swallow your choice for now until I am sorted.

What do I respond to this ????
Im so confused and sad !

OP posts:
Contraceptionismyfriend · 12/11/2019 12:23

He is hurting the children and punishing them for your 'wrong doings' Hmm

I'm sorry that you've all been failed by him.
He's abusive and a grade A cunt.

I'd just ignore him and support the children over their disappointment.
Tell him if he wants to see them again (if he gets in contact) to go to court. He won't. But it will free you all of him.

CupoTeap · 12/11/2019 14:52

Don't respond.

MooseBeTimeForSummer · 12/11/2019 15:02

How old is the middle child? 16 year old is old enough to make up their own mind.

One of the factors a court would consider is “the wishes and feelings of the child in light of their age and understanding”.

thefluffysideofgrey · 12/11/2019 15:08

Don't respond.

Sounds like my Dad thirty years ago and I still have mental health problems because of his behaviour.

Try to keep things normal as possible for your kids. Hobbies, school etc

Focus on the plans for their future- sod the past it's all bollocks. Do they want to go to uni, learn a trade, travel?

If they want to speak to their Dad, they can call him. Other than that, don't push contact. He needs to stop being a self-absorbed twat before he can be a decent father.

Anyway, my number one piece of advice I would give after being a child in the middle of this kind of shit- is look forward, not back.

Plan stuff- Christmas, a holiday if you can afford it, redecorate etc.

Do not let the cloying abyss of your ex's mental health wreck their lives.

JumpiestBat · 12/11/2019 15:15

What a big baby he is being. Cutting off his nose to spite his face I don't think it sounds healthy for the visits to continue at this time, not least if the children are reluctant. Yes you "chose" this and I tell you what you and the children have a wonderful future to look forward to. Chin up, you can do this. Maybe in time he will realise what he's actually choosing to miss out on.

Itsallchange · 16/11/2019 06:47

Oh op I’m so sorry your going through this. It sounds like a nightmare, I wanted to let you know your not in your own. My exh is being quite similar and although I made this decision I know deep down it’s totally the right one. We started off quite amicable but now he is putting his feelings on to the children, unlike yours though he’s only using the younger ones! Because he knows they will react up to me. So like you he’s making them blame me and I feel horrendous guilt for ending it, but I’m just reassuring them that I love them and that it isn’t their fault. I would agree with pp just make your kids happy, don’t push contact but if he contacts them give them an avenue to respond, if they want to see him help them to make that happen but do not put yourself out to make this happen. I hope he doesn’t go down the line of threatening suicide like mine has and does because for me that it the worst guilt in the world but then he knows that and is why he’s using it! Take care of you and your babies op and remember you deserve to be happy xxx

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