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Contact advice

15 replies

2little2late2change4now · 30/08/2015 22:15

Hello.
I've probably posted similar before but I really need advice again about contact!!

To summarise, ex p left in feb, I was 6 weeks pregnant and we have 2 year old dd. He moved over an hour away and initially stopped all contact with Dd and tried to force me into a termination (baby was planned). He called social services and reported me as an unfit mother, I was diagnosed with personality disorder and began private therapy but my parenting was never in question. I dropped dd to ex at work after calling and emailing as I needed kidney treatment at hospital and him to care for dd. He then refused to return her for 3 days, leaving her with strangers and refusing to allow me to see or speak to her. I finally forced the situation by contacting social services and turning up at his conference to collect dd who was actually 50 miles away from him being cared for by his new gf running a temperature. Social services urged him to consider the welfare of dd and where the best place for her to be was although they couldn't force him to return her. He relented and she came back to me. She has never been to his house nor stayed overnight with him since, she returned with a temperature and a Uti, she had not been bathed, was distressed and had been put back in nappies despite being dry for 3months, her car seat was not properly fitted in the car when she was dropped off by the woman.
Contact was then agreed and ex came to our house 2 evenings for bedtime and every other weekend. I would go out when he was here, I gained strength in therapy overtime although initially was desperate to save my family.
Ex became more and more verbally abusive, insisting contact be every other weekend at his house overnight but refusing to give his address.
I tried desperately to convince him to come to mediation but he claimed he couldn't afford it.
He then stopped contact for a period of 2 weeks. After this we sat and wrote out a contact agreement with dates and times. After yet more verbal abuse, threats to take dd to live with him and ex physically grabbing my wrist (police called) contact ceased again for 2 months.

I got to a point in therapy where I no longer meet the criteria for bpd and was gaining a lot of strength on my own, independence, financial stability, better parenting etc.
however dd began to struggle, asking for him and craving answers. I decided to email him asking for his contact plans in the future. He replied that he had none. I asked him to reflect on his dd's PoV and suggested beginning contact as time each Saturday.

This began 6 weeks ago and has been okish. I don't allow him a car seat because of the threats to take dd, I pay for anything they do which costs money and I'm mostly around as dd is very insecure especially with the imminent arrival of her sibling.
Ex has now returned to being verbally abusive after a couple of spells of telling me how immeasurably I've changed through therapy and confessing his guilt and telling me what an amazing job I'm doing.
I find him an extremely unstable person and like most would rather not see him but am aware of my children's interests.
Now dc2 is due now and I plan to bf.i have also received some cryptic email supposedly from a colleague of ex and ow claiming that ow has a "past" and advising me to keep my dc away from both of them?! I haven't entertained this but it has planted doubt.
Ex wants contact but not to ever see me. How would you work this?! There is no trust, no money and seemingly no morals.

Thank you for reading!

OP posts:
Macadaamia · 30/08/2015 22:25

A contact centre might be the best route to take. Do you have support for when you have the baby?

2little2late2change4now · 31/08/2015 05:56

As far as I know a contact centre has to be court ordered or paid for? I have a birthing partner and childcare for dd when I go into labour but no support when I come home really, other than friends to pop in. We go to lots of groups though so there is support there once we're out and about again.
If it was a contact centre would I have to leave the baby there too for him to have contact?

OP posts:
Bellemere · 31/08/2015 07:20

Some contact centres are free, they don't have to be court ordered. You don't have to leave the baby there, they often having a waiting room. You can specify that his girlfriend is not allowed to be included in the contact at the contact centre.

2little2late2change4now · 31/08/2015 07:35

Thank you very much for that info. So would I be handing baby over in between a feed and then waiting in a waiting room?

OP posts:
Bellemere · 31/08/2015 07:55

Yes, that's usually how it works.

Macadaamia · 31/08/2015 08:40

Not always court ordered. Have a look around to see what's available locally

Macadaamia · 31/08/2015 08:41

And why can't dad pay?

Lweji · 31/08/2015 08:49

I'd just add that if there are charges, he should be the one paying them.
Also consider Skype for your eldest as a form of contact. And turn it off if it becomes abusive.

I'd be looking at minimising impact on her and helping her deal with having an unreliable and abusive dad. That's more important than maintaining contact at any cost.

Also report all the written and witnessed abuse. Don't take calls or make them. Put it all in writing. It should come under dv as he is a former partner.

2little2late2change4now · 01/09/2015 23:25

Thank you for all the information. He would probably pay for the contact centre but then he'd take it out of maintenace. It's a nightmare. We attempted to mediate with someone neutral the other evening and he just couldn't control his temper. I have believed that he would either stop all contact again or he would stabilise but I think I'm being very naive.

OP posts:
Lweji · 01/09/2015 23:33

How are you getting maintenance?

SolidGoldBrass · 01/09/2015 23:33

This man needs putting firmly in his place: talk to Women's Aid and a solicitor. The fact that he can't behave himself means there is no point to mediation - it's not recommended when the man is abusive.

You should be able to keep contact supervised for the time being - and this is often enough to make abusive men fade away as it prevents them from being able to continue their abuse of their former partners. You can tell your DD, in age-appropriate ways, that some people are just not very good at being dads and it can't be helped and it is not DD's fault.

2little2late2change4now · 02/09/2015 05:35

He pays maintenance direct to me but he pays more than the Csa amount to help with nursery and U.S. being able to stay in the house. However that is used against me and I am constantly told how he funds our life and the threat of taking that away is very frequent.
Long term I can't see him maintaining contact with the 2 children together unless he is allowed to take them to his house and I provide everything he needs and his gf helps him. Sadly he just wouldn't manage a toddler and a baby alone.
I have never stopped his contact or threatened to despite my feelings. I have tried very hard to put my children's best interests before my own even though I know I am better off when we have nothing to do with him.
I just cannot stand the instability and the constant Jekyll and Hyde behaviour from him.

OP posts:
Lweji · 02/09/2015 06:50

He's able to still abuse you because you are to some extent financially dependent on him.
You will need to choose, I'm afraid. Would it be possible to find somewhere else to live, if necessary? People move all the time.

2little2late2change4now · 02/09/2015 09:13

I would manage if he reduced maintenance but it wouldn't be easy. I don't have any family around to help out etc and am doing a degree so use some of the money to help with childcare.

OP posts:
Lweji · 02/09/2015 11:19

Not easy. Sad

I suppose for now I'd do my best to keep away and let contact slip if necessary. And review when earning more.
But if it gets worse, you may need to have a plan in place for losing his contribution.

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