Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

MOTHER NEVER HAS HER CHILD WHAT CAN WE DO

156 replies

Sarajandb · 20/11/2017 12:58

My partner has a 6 year old with his ex and we have her 50/50 (but have her more ) we have lived together for 4 years. We have her Thursday- Sunday week one Tuesday - Friday week 2. The problem is tues-fri where she has to have her fri and sat night she never has her. So she wont have her in the week or at the weekend. We always find out shes slept at someones house but its not grandparents its young cousins babysitting or sleeping at friends houses anyone who will have her rally as shes very social and drinks a lot. She will take her to the pub and have someone else take her home so she can stay out all night. Shes been passed from pillar to post. what can we do ? It blows my brains how she cant plan her social life around when she doesn't have her. She gets much more spare time then most separated parents.

OP posts:
Sarajandb · 20/11/2017 14:42

hiddley - i said she didnt watch tv to go to bed with at our house not that she didn't have one i suggest u read more slowly and carefully.

OP posts:
hiddley · 20/11/2017 14:42

Is she looked after when she is ill? Is she ill when she's at your house?

Thetreesareallgone · 20/11/2017 14:43

This is a really unpleasant thread to read, and not because of the OP.

I have no idea why the OP is being ganged up on and the odd phrase picked apart when actually a) she posted on here so obviously is concerned about the child b) has offered to have the child full-time and c) has already looked into solicitors letters but is obviously not financially well off and worried about where it will all lead.

Some of the responses are plain nasty and unhelpful. OP some of the posts about documenting the issues are more helpful and also the mum may be changing her mind about the amount of contact if she has a new boyfriend, could be worth raising it again.

Funnily enough I've seen dads with far less than 50% contact feted on here, you seem to have drawn the short straw today to receive the mumsnet kicking.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

diddl · 20/11/2017 14:43

"we dont know thats the point we dont know who shes been left with"

Does she seem upset/is begging not to be left with them again?

hiddley · 20/11/2017 14:44

Well then the excuse of not having a tv to go to sleep with at her mother's house is a lie.

Sarajandb · 20/11/2017 14:44

idea888 - we are looking at making changes but we just wasnt sure what as we dont want to make too much disruption to her routine and cause too much confusion we wanted to get other peoples ideas and advise to make sure we take the next best step.

OP posts:
Sarajandb · 20/11/2017 14:46

hiddley - that excuse came from the child not the mother !! she goes to sleep with the tv at her mums not at ours the excuse for not been in her own bed at her mums is because her mum has taken her tv i dont get why you don't get that. the point is she doesn't sleep in her own bed at her mums and she is 6 its wrong

OP posts:
hiddley · 20/11/2017 14:46

Also, since according to yourself, the child is rarely with her mother, I very much doubt the mother's home is the cause of her illnesses.

Lemonnaise · 20/11/2017 14:46

Thetreesareallgone

Totally agree with you, some people on here are a damned disgrace, they should be ashamed of themselves for giving a concerned step-mother such a kicking. The bitterness is oozing out of them.

KKOKK · 20/11/2017 14:48

If you have her more than the majority of the time how is she still sickly and thin and wrecked? a couple of nights on take away or sandwiches isn't great but it's hardly enough of a departure to cause such illness. I would forget about court and just not send her to her mum, let the mum go to court if she wants her time back. Your attitude isn't the best though, why would you want her to be in a cold loveless house at all. If it was me i would celebrate the fact i didn't have to send her away to miserable conditions not complain i wanted a night off.

Jaxhog · 20/11/2017 14:48

If we have his daughter every weekend then we don't get a child free night at all
I was feeling quite sympathetic until you said this! They're' YOUR kids, not dogs!

If he's worried that the kids aren't being properly cared for, then he needs to go back to court and agree something that works for their safety.

hiddley · 20/11/2017 14:48

I am 100% in agreement with you that her co-sleeping with the mother and boyfriend is wrong. Then again, I am totally against co-sleeping at the best of times as I feel it's lazy assed parenting (well prepared to be shot down for that).
If you are so concerned, I would buy her a cheap TV and have her Dad tell her that now she's a big girl she should sleep in her own room.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 20/11/2017 14:49

trees but that makes the assumption that the best thing for this child is not to live with her mother. They will have a relationship and presumably love each other so I don't see that the mother is doing anything bad enough to inflict the trauma of being taken away on the child.

paranoidpammywhammy2 · 20/11/2017 14:51

I would make sure that the child is being honest and not exaggerating things and saying what you want her to say. SS are not stupid. School will have an idea of what's going on. If you think she's being neglected then act now before it's too late. It will be worth the money.

My daughter told her dad I never changed her bed or did any washing. She didn't see me do it - although it was hanging outside etc. She didn't see me actually doing it or making her bed up. So I didn't do it. At the time the Ex was being an arse and questioning her all the time. She wanted her dad to be pleased with her. Once she said I was always on the computer - but my computer had broken - I was just busy and wouldn't play with her until I finished.

When we were together he harped on about my insistence of healthy eating yet suddenly I wasn't feeding her properly when we split. I was doing too many activities with her when we were together yet when we split I was neglecting her and she was bored at home. Then I'm doing too many activities (3x per week) as he has to take her occasionally. My Ex In-Laws fully backed me when he moaned to them about it.

I try to let him know what's she's doing with me and who's she's seeing. I have two childless friends that like to see her and spoil her. They both work professionally with children . We generally do things together but very occasionally I let them take her to a film etc especially if I have a meeting. I've now just stopped mentioning it as my Ex will see it as 'palming her off on some weirdos'.

My Ex still seems overly interested in my life and what I'm up to when they have my daughter. He seems to wind himself up about it. He has step children now and this has impacted his social life.

CupofFrothyCoffee · 20/11/2017 14:52

why would you want her to be in a cold loveless house at all

Sorry, can you show me the bit where OP has said this is what she wants?

If we have his daughter every weekend then we don't get a child free night at all
I was feeling quite sympathetic until you said this! They're' YOUR kids, not dogs!

Again no mention of the childs MOTHER...

hiddley · 20/11/2017 14:53

I was a single parent but had the luxury of a mother who took my dd a night or two most weekends. Unfortunately I hadn't two pennies to rub together to be out on the town, but it is nice to get a break when you're a single parent. You're in a slightly different situation though in that you have a husband/partner, so the onus of everything isn't always on you.
I'll ask again, why don't you ask your parents to take your children and your step-daughter even for one weekend night a month?

Olivetappas · 20/11/2017 14:53

Op what is dads thoughts on all this

hiddley · 20/11/2017 14:56

As for your birthday weekend when the mother wants to go to Newcastle, say NO. Sorry missus, but it's your weekend and we have plans made and we can't take her.

hiddley · 20/11/2017 14:57

Since she apparently has an army of babysitters at the ready, she won't have a problem making alternative arrangements.

Olivetappas · 20/11/2017 14:59

So mum barely has her when she does she often goes to the pub and palms her off with other ppl.
Your basically being daughters mum
But everything is still on real mums terms even tho she fails to put her daughter first or even look after her properly when she is in her care.
Yet ur getting criticised but ur practical raising another woman's child!

Time for dad to take some control

Sarajandb · 20/11/2017 15:01

We have done but we are worried she will fob her off on someone else. But its once a year we have a night away

OP posts:
Sarajandb · 20/11/2017 15:02

Exactly that. Thank you.
Yes dad is on board x

OP posts:
Sarajandb · 20/11/2017 15:03

Dads worried about her endless threats to stop him seeing her if he doesnt follow gee rules hes worried a court case will stop hom seeing hos daughter for months

OP posts:
hiddley · 20/11/2017 15:03

And what harm if she goes to a babysitter? Or her grandmother, or aunt or uncle or a friend? Why are you making such a fuss about one night since according to yourself this is her regular modus operandi?

brilliotic · 20/11/2017 15:04

OP try to ignore the posters who are winding you up, they are leading you around in circles and distracting from the helpful ones.

So to summarise, you have concerns regarding your DSD:

  • she hardly ever actually spends time with her DM. She gets passed around from pillar to post instead.
--> Can you say a little more about this? As in, does this happen EVERY time she goes to her mum's? 90%? 50%? One in three days/nights? Every weekend night but not weekday nights? Does DSD frequently stay with the same people/have the same sitters, or are they mostly random people? This makes a big difference. It could be that her DM simply has a more lively social life than yourselves, which is ok. If she goes out one night in three that she has DSD, and usually DSD stays with/is looked after by the same people, with the occasional stop-gap alternative, then there is no reason to assume that DSD is being negatively affected by this arrangement. If in contrast, her DM goes out 2 out of 3 nights that DSD is with her, and leaves DSD with random, ever changing strangers, I would consider DSD to be vulnerable to attachment issues, to abuse and neglect. So how much is it effectively, and who does really look after DSD those nights?
  • the house is cold and food not what you believe she should be getting.
Again, can you tell us more - who feeds DSD when her DM goes out? --> Apart from that, not much in this.
  • DSD co-sleeps with her DM and DM's new boyfriend.
This is worrying, and I'd work towards getting this to stop. Your DSD is vulnerable, from what you write, and it is often vulnerable children who find themselves preyed upon. However, how often does this happen? Seeing as DSD rarely actually stays with DM but is passed around to random other people? Or does it happen when DSD is being babysat at DM's home? In that case, perhaps suggest to DSD that she should ask whoever is sitting for her to move her to her own bed once she has fallen asleep in her DM's bed. As a stop-gap until you can figure out a better, more permanent solution.

Ok so you have these concerns, and it is a bit difficult for us strangers on the internet to judge how bad it is as you are using dramatising language (NEVER when you probably mean 'sometimes') and you have been distracted by some posters, so you will have to decide for yourself how bad it is, or give us internet strangers some more calm info if you want help in judging how bad it is.

If you find it bad enough for things needing to change (which your OP implies), there are two strands of action you (that is, always, your DP with your support) can pursue. You can try to get DM to change, and/or you can go for having DSD with you more nights.

Neither will be easy, and I for one can't help you with this. But several PPs have given useful advice, time to listen to them rather than responding to those who are attacking you for things you aren't/haven't said, and making you all defensive about your own choices rather than pursuing what you came here for, namely advice on how you can improve the situation for DSD.