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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

My Husbands Deluded Ex-Wife

68 replies

freedom2010 · 13/07/2010 13:45

Where do I start,

Me and my husband have been togther for 10 years & married for 5. We have three beautiful boys two of which are my step-sons and my little boy who is three.

My husband was married before, when I met him he was going through a terrible divorce his wife then had an affair with another man and moved him in to their family home whilst her husband was away on a business trip. He came home to find his belongings in a bin liner and had to move back to his parents and leave his two boys behind.

Since the split his ex-wife has been a complete bi*&h, demanding money telling us when we see the children, assaulting me in front of her own children, keeping the children away from us over the christmas period for two months, we had to fight through court to see them and paid thousands of pounds to do this.

The boys are older now and although we have quiet periods, she will start to cause trouble when things dont go her way.

The eldest has been given a mobile phone by her and she will ring him and text him all the time when he is with us just to find out what we are doing that day, She knows the in's & outs of everything we do.

She makes my blood boil we dont have a life as she is always interfearing, I would not mind but she was the one who left the marriage. She has re-married and has two other children.

I know she has a big problem with me, she will try her best to destroy any kind of relationship that I build up with the boy's. Im not there to replace her, but while they are spending time with us as we need a good relationship to make our family work.

She is driving me crazy with all the silly little stunts she keeps playing. How do I deal with this nut job of a woman.

Any advice on how other women deal with this sort of thing would be most appreciated.

OP posts:
freedom2010 · 13/07/2010 21:03

No I dont take it from her, however i did ask how other people deal with this kind of situation.

I can tell you she is not an abndoned mum doing the best for her kids just keeping them away from a loving father, really this is not in the best interest's of the children.

constructive comments please hmm

OP posts:
shongololo · 13/07/2010 21:04

I dont like the idea of focussing on your child and not his - you are a blended family and regardless of what the ex has done, the children are innocent in all this.

As they are that bit older, I wonder if you could discuss it sensibly as adults...along the lines of "I know she is your mum and I know that she loves you, but I find her constant inquiries to be at best nosey and at worst, quite creepy. Maybe you could limit your text contacts with her to certain times of day so it doesnt interfeer with our family time so much?"

Id also lay out your stall a bit - tell them you love their dad and you love them and you love having them over and you think they are fantastic big brothers and you are proud to call them your stepsons and that you really value the time you get to spend with them, and wish you had more quality time together...

Tell them that you will not and never have badmouthed their mum, but that they are old enough to know that there are two sides to every story.

freedom2010 · 13/07/2010 21:09

Thank you shongololo, really useful advise and something that I will talk about with my husband.

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detoxdiva · 13/07/2010 21:11

HonestGuv - I too have been with my dh for 10 years and along with him came a daughter and an insecure ex who plays games around contact and who will quite happily use her daughter to make things difficult in whatever way she can. My dh will stand up to her nonsense as best he can, but he will often let a lot of it ride in the interests of his daughter. he's not putting up with it because he is not putting me and our dc first, he is thinking about how much more constant arguing has an effect on all this children.

Freedom is right - it is a long game, and one that you just learn to manage as best you can, because some people don't change and ultimately you have to put a lot of the crap to the back of your mind for the sake of your whole family.

HonestGuv · 13/07/2010 21:19

what?

The poster has had years of shite from an ex wife and she has had enough. I responded.

she says she needs a way of dealing with it. I made some suggestions.

My honest advice would be to leave the husband, take the joint son (her h has 2 others by the ex he needs to sort out) and the most legally available money. and go somewhere with a pool and water slide for the boy, stay with mates, get some sun shine, and let H sort his (ex-ish) wife out.

but women, especially second wives, think they can do it all. while their partners snigger.

Amnd one more lad will suffer from this shit.

Whats your prob?

Harimo · 13/07/2010 21:24

I don't disagree with your first post.

My DH has kids from a previous relationship and I don't deal with her (the ex) or the kids.

I sort my kids out. ANd sort my relationship. End of.

But, it's not my preference. It's just the way it is. I'm not prepared to have my kids suffer because of his ex's issues.

Not sure I'd tout it as advice though.

HonestGuv · 13/07/2010 21:39

Why the hell let another layer of children suffer because of the first? the first are their parents responsibility.

you are 100 per cent responsible for your own mrs poster.

thats the problem with 'blended' families. the original kids come first, the second lot lose out when there is a fucking impossible ex - male or female.

Some exes - but yes, usually women - just make lives hell. end of. its not controversial. its fact.

Harimo · 13/07/2010 21:44

Are you a first or second wife Honestgov.

You come across as quite angry? I'm not sure why that would be? If you are doing what is right by your kids...?

Or perhaps you don't feel you have done what's right by your kids because you have tried to appease an ex?

A little background would be useful.

As I say, I don't disagree with you per se.

HonestGuv · 13/07/2010 21:48

What? nowt to do with my personal background.

Harimo · 13/07/2010 21:49

Then why the advice?

HonestGuv · 13/07/2010 22:09

what? why write that?

isn't this an advice forum?

Harimo · 13/07/2010 22:14

\just wondering what qualifies your advice... or whether you are just making it up as you go along...

freedom2010 · 14/07/2010 09:37

Why would I want to leave a husband I love take my son away from his farther and become like his ex wife, sorry not for me as you can see I dont give up that easily. Im in it for the long run.

HonestGuv your situation is obviously different than mine. I appreciate your slant on things! however I will not be following your advise.

OP posts:
BringontheSun · 14/07/2010 10:14

How old are the boys?

freedom2010 · 14/07/2010 12:27

Hi BringontheSun

They are 12 & 15!

OP posts:
WildistheWind · 14/07/2010 13:31

Hi again Freedom, you have to hang in there, the boys will grow up and her influence on your life will diminish...

Like you, I don't play the dirty game of badmouthing even if the other side does, leading by exemple is the way to go. After years of the girls repeting nasty stuff their mum says, I always answered, well she's entitled to her opinion- thanks for letting me know etc. Now they don't even bother!

my DSDs are 10 and 8...and I've been dealing with the same sort of silly behaviour from the X since they were 3 and 5...be the mother and SM you need to be, the rest will follow.

At the end of the day , the children didn't ask for this and should never made feel less /more important. We just love them, have learnt to build a new family which works for us and the rest, frankly, isn't that important.

I admire you because you're been going through this for 10 years...as you say, you're in for the long run. In the long run, when they are adults, they will look up to you has a woman who did all she could for them. That's what I keep repeting myself when times are rough!!!

freedom2010 · 14/07/2010 14:43

Hi PegsOnTheLine,

Such wise words, I will follow suit, it gets hard at times and no the children never asked for non of this, I will always be there for them even when times are tough!

I feel it is important that my child continues to have a very close relationship with his brothers and feel it is important that the children have a relationship with their father.

Nice to know im not the only one who suffers the ex from time to time and it's always healty to spout off now and again lol

OP posts:
WildistheWind · 15/07/2010 14:44

It is very important to vent and rant every now and then!

I would have gone mad without it and the Step-Parenting group on here has been a godsent!

mumatron3000 · 15/07/2010 14:51

Message deleted

freedom2010 · 15/07/2010 14:52

PegsOnTheLine

Please could you point me in the right direction as I have looked for this group but can not find it!

Thanks again for reading

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freedom2010 · 15/07/2010 14:58

Yes mumatron I would say this was around 6 years ago and she launched her self at me through an open car window, the children where in full veiw of everything no respect for herself I guess! She was of course arrested for it.

But as the where no witnesses and blamed me for self harming myself she was let off with no warning.

I must say things have got a lot easier since then when I think about it!

Just keep smiling it annoys her more lol

OP posts:
mumatron3000 · 15/07/2010 15:00

Message deleted

freedom2010 · 15/07/2010 15:05

Ha ha brilliant but to be honest I would not touch her with a barge pole, She is just not worth it!

I am the better woman in all this and I think that she is slowly realising this and one day she will hopefully crawl back into her cave lol.

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drloves · 15/07/2010 15:32

Its hard being second wife , with step kids...
I get on ok with DHs ex (lucky ) , but now and again there is a few raised eyebrow moments ,that would escalate into something of a barney if i didnt ignore. Like when she used to walk into our house without knocking. Or when she told me not to marry DH . Or when she asked me if i was wearing a nighty , when it was in fact an expensive draped jersey maternity dress. And there was the time she told the world and his granny i was expecting , before i had wanted to tell myself (hadnt had scan). And she always wants to go to "our" parties ...why? But hey ho , i think its just a kind of attention seeking thing she has , so I ignore her twatiness , and encourage the niceness, iykwim? Think its working because , we get on , although her friendship is something i wouldnt have sought if not for the step kids. (She is just too course , for my tastes ,< oOMG how snobbish do i sound ? sorry just no othere way to describe her tbh> . OP you have my sympathy . Never , ever say anything negative about her infront of the stepkids...doesnt matter what she does - shes still their "real" mum .
Having said all

freedom2010 · 15/07/2010 15:43

Yes I totaly agree with you drloves, but I can never see myself being friends with her, I think your right its very much a jealousy thing and something she cant let go.

Its like this she dosent want my DH but she dosent want anyone else to have him! strange.
I know but I have learnt over the years that the are alot of these women about, a different breed I would say lol.

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