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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

His kids dont want to know our baby

107 replies

cherry80 · 27/11/2010 14:43

Got together with P five years ago, just as he was leaving previous relationship. Not ideal at all but it was over before we started. His ex wife refuses to believe this and has spent the last five years ignoring divorce proceedings, refusing to let him see kids and telling them all sorts of nasty things. He was still in phone contact and spoke to his two daughters (aged 14 and 17)at least once a week until earlier this year. Every time he asked them to meet me or come round to our house they said they had to check with their mum then the asnwer would be no. He takes his son (aged 10) to football and out to lunch every week but the one time he brought him round to ours cause his son asked to see our house, he wasnt allowed to see him for weeks. Obviously this is upsetting for him and me but i thought if he could just keep contact eventually his ex would calm down and be more reasonable. I am now pregnant and expecting our baby in March. When he told his girls in Sept they just stopped speaking to him, they havent replied to any texts or phone calls since. He continues to see his son once a week, but im not allowed to be involved. I am much more upset than i thought i would be at the fact his kids are rejecting our baby and he seems to find it difficult to be excited about my pregnancy cause his girls have cut him out of their lives. I dont know what to do but i cant see how this can continue, cause i dont want him spending every Sunday with his son without me once our baby arrives, i'll need more support off him. Any advice or help would be welcome.

OP posts:
superv1xen · 28/11/2010 19:48

OP - I have private messaged you. I am in a similar situation but would rather not go into it on the main boards.x

superv1xen · 28/11/2010 19:49

i agree with chipping as well re mummiehunnie she needs to get a grip counselling.

mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 19:54

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Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 19:57

why do you think it may help me, not sure what dbd is anyways?

mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 20:01

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Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:02

I have two REAL daughters that I live with that have had plenty of impact from the family court process that I deal with on a daily basis, not someone else's children that i see from time to time, not having a pop!

ChippingIn · 28/11/2010 20:06

MummieHunnie - you really do need to go and talk to someone. Your bitterness is not good for your daughters nor you.

Your comments are bitchy & uncalled for.

mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 20:07

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Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:13

Really you know all my thoughts and feelings Mj, you know the full story do you Mj? not one person on mn knows the full situation, so for you to tell me how I feel is a bit rich!

I admire the fact that you are supporting your step children and I am very sorry for you that they are hurting and taking it out on you, as I am in that very same situation, the other adults who created the situation do not have any contact and do not have to deal with the fallout in our situation, and that is probably for the best!

mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 20:18

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mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 20:19

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mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 20:23

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Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:23

I am have no problem in you telling me about your situation, I am sorry for you and your family that your situation has happened, that is your situation, and i don't think it is the same as our situation, it is kind of you to want to help me understand what has happened to you in a way to help me have empathy for the other adults in our situation, the thing is not all situations are the same, I NEVER once tried to stop contact between the ex and the children when I really should have for their own good, and had people telling me off about having him in their life, the problem was with ow for good reasons!

Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:24

He was and is abusive, I think he has npd actually as do many others on MN!

Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:26

He has been diagnosed as having other disorder by a psychiatrist after he left, and she is not normal either, she has a hisotry of being abused by men her whole life, and her behaviour is not NORMAL!

mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 20:34

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mjinsparklystockings · 28/11/2010 20:35

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Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:44

I meant that having discussed ex's behaviour on npd thread on MN! not that most people on here have npd! sorry if my post caused confusion x

He took us to court to foce ow on the children yes, the children did not want her, I don't want go into all the in's and out's, he was ashamed of himself a long time after for calling dd a liar and backing up ow for something that was not right that happened, the children did not want her, he was behaving oddly around her and not nice to them when she was around!

Another example was the only time they met, which was three days, the fist meeting she was demanding the children meet her the way she wanted it and to her timescale, the children were happily playing in another room and not ready, she got more and more angry and ex from what I have been told an read in court documents, got more and more pressured and ashmed he could not control the children and in the end dragged them to say hello to her, and pushed them forward and demanded they say hello, she was then happy and they could go back and play then...the first night his and my solicitors set a time for me to phone, i did and was accused by him and her of doing it deliberatly to ruin their first meal with the childrne, how the hell was I to know when they were going to eat, I phoned when it was agreed to phone and they made it out that I had some sort of sixth sense blooming heck, because of this she retired to bed the next day and he had to give her breakfast in bed so another family meal could not be ruined by me or some other garbish... oh that is just the tip of the iceberg, I could go on then ... far more sinister things went on later in the visit... it did not go well, and the next phone call dd told him the sinister thing ow did, he went nuts told dd she was a liar and put the phone down, he lied to court about that also...he cancelled contact after that phone call and refused to turn up for months leaving the children and me waiting for him and he would never show up, he did not explain himself, the next thing court hearing... during the absence he was diagnosed with a disorder( I later found out from court documents), there is a lot more to this...!

Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:45

loads of sp mistakes sorry x

Mummiehunnie · 28/11/2010 20:55

just to clarify, he cancelled the next planned contact session, then he did not show up for the other scheduled contact sessions leaving the children waiting with no explanation, and one of the regular pick up's was not from me from an out of school activity and had I not showed up just in case, they would have been left there scared and alone and harm may have befallen them!

thelibster · 28/11/2010 22:11

Just wanted to say, whilst I do feel sorry for the OP, it is not likely that a 17 year old would refuse to see her father on the urging of her mother. My experience of teenagers, and I have three of them, is that they will very much do their own thing and not be dictated to by anyone. For what it is worth, my father left my mother when I was 19. I did not meet the OW again (she had been my parent's next door neighbour and I had met her a couple of times before the affair came to light) and I severed all contact with my father from then on. I did this without any pressure being exerted by my mother. It was my own choice and I do not remember at any time in my life feeling so angry with a person as I was with my father then.

Feelings of adult children can be very complex in these situations. Yes, one loves both parents but also, when one parent does not want a divorce (and it seems clear that the OP's DP's ex did not, or why would she have used stalling tactics?) one sees one parent causing so much hurt and anguish to the other and it is extremely difficult to forgive someone for hurting someone one loves so dearly. If that makes any sense? There is an element of "if my father truly loved me he would not hurt someone who means so much to me" So, whatever people say about leaving the spouse not leaving the children, there is always an element of "he/she didn't care enough about my happiness" when a parent leaves. (Unless abuse is involved).

In my experience OW do not necessarily know what has gone on in their partner's previous family life, they only have their partner's word for it. Adult children, however, have a lot more inside information and will usually make up their own minds. The 10 year old boy may not be coming under pressure from the mother, or just the mother, he may be coming under pressure from his older sister too/instead. Not that I am implying that this is in any way right, just that you cannot assume that it is all the mother's fault necessarily.

I always think it is a bit unrealistic of second wives/partners to be upset when life doesn't run smoothly. I mean, you know the score and the potential baggage for the future when you embark on such a relationship. I understand that you would like everything to be picture book perfect but the likelihood was never very strong was it? We can't help who we fall in love with I suppose. I am not condoning ex wives who make life difficult for their DC and I'm not saying that I have no sympathy for new wives/partners but I can understand the anguish of an abandoned wife and can see how this anguish can easily turn to bitterness and I do sometimes want to shake second wives who seem to have unrealistic, not to say naive, expectations of how their future as a step mother will pan out.

There is only one thing that I found really irritating about the OP's posts and that is that I find the use of "DBD" particularly nauseating. The truth of the matter is that they are not your daughters and they never will be and they clearly don't view you as a "bonus" in their lives. I think you need to face up to that fact as unpleasant as it may be. You need to give your DP space and time to work on his relationship with his DS and you need be less demanding. TBH your DP's relationship with his son is none of your business. You need to back off on this one and enjoy the prospect of your own little one's arrival and the pleasure you will have in being a mother yourself. I hope everything goes well with you for the rest of the pregnancy and the birth. Congratulations, it's wonderful for you.

sayithowitis · 28/11/2010 23:22

I cannot tell you anything about your situation. All I can do is to relate how it was for me when my parents separated when I was 10 years old. From the day they separated, until the day my DD died, over 30 years later, there was only one occasion when I spent more than five minutes alone with my Dad, without his new wife (who had been the OW)also being present. The only time I was able to spend alone with him was about a year before he died when he popped over for a visit for about 2 hours. By this time he had retired, though his wife had not. He was only able to come because she had to work that day and I was sworn to secrecy so that she did not know.

Do I resent her for denying me time with my Dad? You bet I do! She and my half sibling, had him there all the time. They had the holidays, the Christmasses, the birthdays( his and theirs)and all the other special occasions with him. My half sibling had immeasurable time just talking to my Dad. Time that I never had because of the insecurities and selfishness of an adult who should have known better.For crying out loud, wasn't it enough for her that he left his wife and children to be with her? Did she really have to deny us a few minutes alone with him as well?

What I am trying to say to you, is whatever else happens, do not, absolutely do not, deny your partner and his son the opportunity to spend time together without you. You will cope on Sundays when the baby comes. Just look ahead ten years and hope that your baby is never in the situation that your partners son is. And that if he/she is in that situation, her father's new partner understands and respects the relationship between your child and their father, is something special to them and that sometimes, you don't want an outsider intruding on that.

dignified · 29/11/2010 08:48

Theres lots of talk of the ex wife and the kids " moving on ". They may not be resentfull of the divorce , they may be resentfull of him personally.

Parents break up all the time , the relationship with the spouse has effectiveley ended , the one with the kids hasnt, and shouldnt. The idea that some men are now only obligated to perform a weekly phone call and spend a few hours on a saturday afternoon is a bit shit. Its this they may have been resentfull about in the past , not the fact he has a new partner.Being a mcdonalds ad is a bit old hat i think , a 50 /50 deal is much more apropriate nowadays.

I dont think my kids would be thrilled to hear their dad was expecting , he phones them on average once a week and they see him once a fortnight. Its not enough and relagates him into the role of a visiter. Hes not a visiter , hes their dad and should be more involved.

I too find the term " Dear bonus daughter " a bit uncomfortable and wouldnt like for mine to be refferred to in that way. Nor would i like statements such as "We are going to court for access " because new partners wouldnt be going to court for access , my ex would.

dignified · 29/11/2010 08:59

Ive just re read that and realised the comment about bonus daughter could look a bit off. I,ll explain better.

If my ex was more involved , ie , took 50 per cent responsibility ect , i think they would find it a lot easier to accept a new partner . If she too wanted to be involved in this way , and i mean really involved , ie , dropping them off at activitys , dentists , helping them with homework ect , i would respect that and see her as a significant person in their lives and be glad they had an extra person who cared about them.

If she wanted to see them for a few hours a week and refer to them as bonus children id find that really offensive. If you want to be a parent , whether thats a biological parent or a step parent , then be one , all the time not just for a few hours on a saturday afternoon.

Ive probably not explained that very well , but i think the situations where these things run well is one where a father is already involved and commited , and finds a partner who is willing to be equally involved and commited.

Expecting to gain status as step mother by sitting in mcdonalds for a few hours a week isnt going to happen.

BaggedandTagged · 29/11/2010 09:11

Going back to the OP, from experience I would say that the likelihood of the girls having any sort of closeish relationship with your baby to the extent that they consider he/she to be a sibling on a par with one another or their brother are pretty low so I think you should manage your expectations there.

If they were younger, and spent every weekend at your house then it would be different, but particularly the older girl is at an age where she can have a relationship with her father (or not as the case may be) on her own terms and to the exclusion of you and the baby if she chooses. Given that you and her mother are not on good terms, this is probably the way things will go and the other daughter will prob follow suit.

Sorry- prob not what you want to hear.