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Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

how do i respond to this? i am so pissed off i'm not being rational.

133 replies

IAmBooyhoo · 12/05/2012 17:06

i've posted numerous times before about EXp and how he constantly lets the dcs (and me tbh) down wrt not turning up for contact or turning up late or dropping them back late or giving vague times for when he will be here etc.

so yesterday evening he asked what the dcs were doing today. i told him we were going to the cinema and it would be over by 2pm so he said he would ring me at 2.15 to arrange collecting them. we got out of the cinema at 1.30 so went for lunch and got back home at 2.20pm. there was a text on my phone simply asking if we were home yet so i replied straight away saying yes we are at home now. (exp lives less than 10 minutes drive away) it got to 2.55pm and no reply or sign of him so i texted asking what time he would be here for the dcs. not that's it's relevant to him but my friend is coming over this evening and i was planning on having the 'dcs free' time to get the house cleaned as it really needs it before friend can come over. he didn't reply.

i texted again asking the same thing at 3.15pm he didn't reply so i phoned and he didn't answer but 2 minutes after i phoned he sent a text asking if dcs could stay over at his house. this is the first time and he has been making excuses as to why it couldn't happen so of course i said yes and again asked what time he would be in for the dcs. we packed their bags and dcs got all excited. exp didnt reply to the message even though i sent it straight after he had texted me so he was waiting on an answer and would have checked his phone.

by 3.45pm i was really annoyed that yet again i was sitting waiting for him to arrive before i could get on and do my stuff. it is always the same always me hanging about the house never knowing what time he will turn up and in teh past MNers have suggested i just not be in the house for the day so that he is kept waiting so at 3.45 i got the dcs into the car and we went to a local harbour to watch the boats. at 4pm he sent a message saying "i dont suppose you could leave the kids out?" well i ignored it. i know how childish that is but i never ignore his texts wrt to teh dcs i always respond and i make it so the dcs can go everytime he asks even if it has meant in the past cancelling arrangements we have made but this time i thought why the hell should i? he ignores me except when it suits him to respond. about 20 minutes later he rang and i ignored it.

he then sent another message saying he had no car available. it's a glorious day here, he lives directly on the bus route to where we live and he could get a taxi, or he could walk the 1 minute walk to his mum's and borrow hers which he usually does or he could ask a friend. what he meant is that there was no car directly outside his front door that he could access without any effort. well i ignored that message too. he sent another message about 20 minutes ago saying "why exactly is it you are doing this?" i haven't replied yet. i dont know what to reply. i'm still so furious. i can't get on with cleaning teh house while 2 year old is still here. i'm so sick of being so bloody available for him to just saunter in when he feels like being a dad. no -one transports my dcs to me, i go and get them.

i was tempted to reply "have a think about why i am doing this" but that's just silly isn't it?

what so i do to get my point across to him that he cant do this anymore? i cant cope with it. it isn't fair on me. and i know thsi is about the dcs but i am entitled to be able to make plans and expect to be able to keep them. so many times i have had to let my freinds down at the last minute because he hasn't turned up and it isn't fair he gets to arrange his children around whatever else he wants to do and i get to (hopefully) arrange what i wnat to do arround my children, which is how it should be when you are a parent. he picks them up like a magazine when he has nothing else to do.

i'm just so pissed off.

OP posts:
fuckarama · 19/05/2012 18:04
Grin
IAmBooyhoo · 19/05/2012 18:16

the're home!!!

7 minutes past. with their dirty washing

OP posts:
fuckarama · 19/05/2012 18:36

WOW!!! Just wow!

I think I see a set of MN balls firmly strapped on Grin

GrinGrinGrinGrinGrin

IAmBooyhoo · 19/05/2012 18:47

yes, i'm sitting legs spread at the minute to make room Grin

i did ask if he had a washing machine. he said he didn't know what i would want done with their clothes Hmm

ah well, one bad habit at a time. Grin

OP posts:
fuckarama · 19/05/2012 18:50
Grin

I am so pleased for you.

Babylon1 · 19/05/2012 19:29

I love a happy ending!! Long may it continue xx

RandomMess · 19/05/2012 19:29

Whoop whoop Grin

IAmBooyhoo · 19/05/2012 19:37

thank you all. i feel like i have acheived something! Grin

OP posts:
ChocHobNob · 19/05/2012 20:37

Have been following this thread. Really glad that the kids seem to have had a successful overnight with minimal amount of mucking about from the ex.

Just one question though, do resident parents really expect clothes to be washed and returned just from a single overnight? A few nights I understand as it builds up, but one solitary night. Is it such a big deal?! (genuinely interested, not having a go in any way)

IAmBooyhoo · 19/05/2012 21:17

well the clothes they took off at his house yes. i dont see why he wouldn't have put them in the machine tbh. i dont mean washed dried ironed and folded in their bags. i just mean dont send me home dirty washing as if it's my job when you claim to be a parent aswell. i have no problem with him keeping their clothes there to come home the next time or to be worn by them when they next stay. i just dont want to be treated anymore like his unpaid servant/childminder than i already am.

OP posts:
fuckarama · 19/05/2012 21:23

Look on the bright side, at least you got the clothes back not like my ex who seems to have a problem returning clothes

IAmBooyhoo · 19/05/2012 21:35

that's true fucks.

OP posts:
AnitaBlake · 20/05/2012 19:45

Wow, well done, keep up the texts and the record keeping.

Just as an aside, we provide our own clothes for DSD, we were asked to return her 'mum' clothes dirty as we were taking too long to return them. DSDs mum returns our clothes when she feels like it lol.

smokinaces · 20/05/2012 22:36

I've never expected the kids clothes to come back clean. I don't do a wash everynight and sling their clothes in a washbin - their dad doesn't do a wash everyday either so he slings them in theory bag to come home. If one of them has an accident or something he will wash it, but not routinely.

Glad their overnight went well. Here hoping its the start of a good routine for you all.

smokinaces · 20/05/2012 22:36

Their bag not theory bag

IAmBooybilee · 20/05/2012 23:20

hmm i can see i'm being a bit too control freaky about the washing then! Grin i think i'm just keen for him to realise what's actually involved in being a parent rather than just getting all the fun parts and no getting your hands dirty. but i suppose if he's just having them the odd night here and there then there isn't really much chance for him to see what it actually means to be a parent.

have found out that the dcs didn't get to football yesterday and no boots were purchased. not impressed but wont say anything unless it becomes a habit. (the no football part -i'll get boots this week)

Dee03 · 20/05/2012 23:44

When people (csa) mention shared care it really gets my goat...
My xp has our ds 4 nights a month...yes a whole 4 nights yet this is classed as shared care!!!
He doesnt wash his clothes, do any homework, doesnt make him bath/shower, doesnt check to make sure he's changed his boxers (ds is 10), doesnt make sure he brings all his clothes back, doesnt clean his trainers if caked in mud, doesnt take time off work when ds is ill, doesnt even phone him during the week anymore....
I could go on and on......Sad

IAmBooybilee · 21/05/2012 00:01

same here dee. EXP does none of that with the dcs. i resent the fact that he calls himself a parent. he does zero parenting.

Dee03 · 21/05/2012 07:56

I know.....it really annoys me!! (as u can probably tell Grin

My xh just disappeared 8 years ago an he hasnt seen his 2 ds since....nice!!!
But i do get a whole £12 a week in maintenance....asrrgghhhhhhh

Good job these kids have got decent mums like us isn't it!! Smile

ChocHobNob · 21/05/2012 09:23

We don't return DSD's clothes back clean for the above reasons. We have her for one overnight a month (not through lack of trying to have her more I will add!) And my "wash night" is Sunday, not Saturday so I would have to do a special wash on a Saturday and as we are busy Sunday, I wouldn't guarantee the clothes got dried in time to be taken back home with her. That's what made me ask! I was wondering if we were being unreasonable not washing one set of clothes on a very short overnight. If something gets stained and needs an emergency wash we do it. If we had DSD for longer, we would wash her clothes as we have more time. Hope you didn't mind me asking I am. I didn't want to start a whole new thread just for that question. Grin

IAmBooybilee · 21/05/2012 12:35

nope i dont mind you asking at all. in fact i'm glad you did as it has helped me see that i was BU expecting it.

Dee03 · 21/05/2012 12:54

Tbh honest i dont expect clothes to be washed but its just the fact that us mums do 99 % of everything!

When my ds used to go to his dads and new wife's straight from school on a fri his lunch box would come home sunday evening stinking as it wasnt washed out!

Dee03 · 21/05/2012 12:55

Bearing in mind he used to have tuna pasta, yogurt etc in there!!

ChocHobNob · 21/05/2012 12:58

We're not all like that Dee Wink but I can appreciate that it is flipping annoying and there's no need for that kind of behaviour. I know how minging my kids' lunch boxes get if I forget about them overnight.

WinkyWinkola · 21/05/2012 12:59

I wouldn't tell the dcs either that their dad might see them that day. They must be continually disappointed. What a moron.

I would refuse to make any arrangements at all until he pulls his socks up.