Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Me again - what do I do for the best ?

227 replies

Mosman · 02/12/2013 00:05

So I'm still in Perth Australia. I was working, had a great job which I got made redundant from because the market here has gone so quiet it's like 2007 in the uk. It came with a 457 visa which means no entitlement to child benefit, rental assistance or tax credits equivalent.
Dickhead managed to get himself a commission only job which just covers the rent and food, nothing else. He needs a car - we have a loan for $1100 a month - we simply cannot pay it.
With the job going my visa is finished on 25th January 2014 unless one of us gets sponsorship - based on previous experience it's unlikely to be him.
He wants, no sorry is insisting on staying in Perth.
God knows how - he wants us to get permanent residency but time is not on our side - come 25th January we would be here illegally which will go against us in any application for residency.
So it's down to me to get a job and another visa to help a man who's screwed me over for the past five years to live his dream and the only reason I would do this is so my kids see their father.
If I go back to the uk he plans to visit once a year and Skype FFs.
I have concerns about what child support he would pay - its my only source of income ATM and he regularly threatens to withdraw it even now.
What do I do ? I am so worried the children will blame me for taking them from their father and friends and tbh Perth is the better place to bring kids up. I just can't even think straight with all the stress.
To add insult to injury he is online dating, telling the children the names of his one night stands, choosing to go and see women the night before he leaves for a business trip rather than job hunting. He's a complete cunt tbh, I wonder how much of a loss he would be to the kids anyway if they never saw him again.

OP posts:
mammadiggingdeep · 02/12/2013 11:59

Oddfodd is right...exactly spot on.

Blossomflowers · 02/12/2013 12:02

There is one thing for sure honey that just cannot stay with this vile man, whether that be in UK or Australia.
Is it possible to stay there without him and have the correct visa? Sorry but confused as know nothing about visa rights etc. Something is clear you obviously like living there but he is ruining everything and destroying. If ever LTB was correct it is in your situation. I actually feel [Angry for you

Mosman · 02/12/2013 12:41

Yeah I can get a visa and take him off mine Grin he's utterly fucked without me.
I've also found out today I can get PR in my own right too. Now it's just a question of whether I want it

OP posts:
mammadiggingdeep · 02/12/2013 12:54

Yes- that decision has to be made about you and not whether it will fuck him over...

Blossomflowers · 02/12/2013 13:02

To me ( and I have read your previous thread) there are 2 options get a job in Auss apply for Visa, if you cannot get a job then it seems you will have no choice to come back to UK. Neither option should involve your fuckwit of a husband. You say you do not love him then why do you seem to care so much about what he does and thinks. It is up to him to continue a relationship with the kids.

Mosman · 02/12/2013 13:19

I don't know why I care ... I guess I don't like being screwed over and do don't want him to do it again via the kids.

OP posts:
MistAllChuckingFrighty · 02/12/2013 13:21

If you keep these kids around him, you are allowing him to screw them over. In what way do you mean "screw over" ?

mistlethrush · 02/12/2013 13:24

So... how can you avoid him screwing you over via the kids? Not paying any maintenance - well you're not actually expecting him to come up with any anyway are you, so not that... Messing up their mind by discussing his latest exploits - seems to me that geographic distance would help with this one.

Blossomflowers · 02/12/2013 13:25

But if you are not together he will not get that opportunity. What about your happiness, fuck him. Just stop thinking about how it will affect him and think about all that matters you and the kids. Let him live his sad seedy little life, one day he might turn around and face up to what a dick he has been and all that he is lost. But for now some big decisions need to made. HR is a good career in the UK, and not such a terrible place to live. ( I am in recruitment, so should know)

MillyRules · 02/12/2013 13:30

Don't you think that this relationship of yours is bad for your children and your priority is ti remove them from it? Isnt that more important than who wins what. In the end kids adapt wherever they live as long as they feel valued and loved. You are allowing them to be living in such a toxic environment. Who knows how they will turn out Hmm Confused

MillyRules · 02/12/2013 13:35

And I love living here in the UK. Wouldn't move home again. I would miss the seasons here. I'd miss all the traditions and proper Christmases. I would miss the people. I'm Australian and my parents still live there but there are some beautiful picturesque places to live here, I'm in the mountains looking at snow as we speak. Grin

Mosman · 02/12/2013 14:04

:-) I hear ya

OP posts:
Vivacia · 02/12/2013 14:19

All of your smiling and winking emoticons seem so incongruous with what you're describing. You are putting up with complete shit, seem wrapped up in making him sad (rather than focussing on making you and the children happy). What do you want people to say??

Lavenderhoney · 02/12/2013 14:45

Mosman, if he left tomorrow physically because clearly he has left emotionally, what would you do?

I agree, stop thinking about him and what do you want? The dc don't really get a say at this point as unless you cannot take them out of the country for whatever reason which is a legal one, not emotional.

its not really an emotional decision you have to make. Get your business and money head on, write down all the facts and what do they say?

You sound as if you want to stay. If you have exhausted all avenues you must plan to leave. Don't wait til end jan and be in a panic. It will cause more stress.

If your company want you to stay, can't they help you?

BeCool · 02/12/2013 14:48

I get paralysed by the fear of doing the wrong thing if that makes sense.

Right now the wrong thing is continuing to live with this utter dickhead who (apart from everything else) thinks it is OK and appropriate to discuss his ONS's with his children. In front of their mother no less.

FFS what a prat!!

It sounds like you can stay or you can go WRT Oz/UK - but whatever you do you need to cut yourself loose from this prat. However much you must 'fear' being a LP, you don't seriously think you can stay living with DickHead do you? No of course not. So you can remove fear of being LP from the 'list of paralyzing fears'

BeCool · 02/12/2013 14:53

I also think you need to refocus your focus.

You seem to be overly concerned with him, what he thinks, wants and will do. In the grand scheme of reclaiming your life and sanity who actually gives a flying fuck as to what anyone else thinks about the matter?

You are giving him lots of power by focusing on him and also engaging on his level.

As others of said, cut him lose, think of yourself and your DC. He's not worth another iota of your time or engergy.

arfishy · 02/12/2013 22:21

Do you want him in your children's life? If you don't then it will be easy to get rid of him either by returning to the UK or by remaining in Australia and letting immigration know about his illegal status in January (assuming you are getting sponsored by a company by then).

If you do want him in their life then strictly speaking you will still need to live together in order for him to be able to live in Australia - at least while the visa is being processed. After PR or a new 457 is issued then you could live apart - [disclaimer: legally you are supposed to tell immigration of any change in circumstances, so if he moved out and continued to live in Australia on a spousal visa then he would still be living here illegally].

Your situation is so much more complex than "LTB" - whatever decision you make could mean your children separated from their father by an enormous distance. He has treated you appallingly and I don't envy your position at all.

What do you think is best for the children? Australia and their father in their life or the UK and no father?

Mosman · 02/12/2013 22:57

And there is the dilemma ... They love their dad

OP posts:
RandomMess · 02/12/2013 23:06

They will always love him, even if he is a complete bastard to them. Is he a good parent to them? It doesn't sound like it to me.

Lweji · 02/12/2013 23:08

My DS loves his dad, but he's 3 hours plane away and hasn't been with him in almost a year.
He recognises that it's best if dad is not around.

MistAllChuckingFrighty · 02/12/2013 23:35

Kids still love the parents that batter and torture them. It's what they are programmed to do, I am afraid.

Mosman · 03/12/2013 03:56

Sigh ... Not easy is it ... I'm just exhausted with it all

OP posts:
desi279 · 03/12/2013 05:06

This is an easy decision. But you refuse to accept it. You would rather waste your energy thinking about him and hating him. In that case continue on your current path.... I have no sympathy! It is your kids I feel sorry for.

Mosman · 03/12/2013 05:17

I feel sorry for the kids too hence I'm trying to pick the least damaging path and if I thought that was as simple as getting on a plane I would but I know the easy road for me might not be best for them.

OP posts:
Ehhn · 03/12/2013 05:59

I am going to reiterate what others have said. You have two simple choices based on visas and your legal status.

  1. Apply for your own visa and continue living and working in Australia.
  1. Do nothing and go home/get deported in January

Which are you going to do?

The rest is emotional baggage that you will have to deal with at some point. Kids will love their dad regardless of what a dickhead he is. In fact, they may try to love him harder the worse he is, in the mistaken hope that he will behave better and love them back more. This will likely screw them up and make their adult relationships more difficult/fucked up.

However, for your own reasons you are not emotionally ready yet to make a definite decision about changing access to their father, whether from another house of your own (rented) somewhere in Australia or from somewhere in the UK.

Which takes us back to the factual choice of option 1. Or 2. Which will it be?

Swipe left for the next trending thread