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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

When do I tell my little girl she has a sister?

96 replies

MyBabyHasBigEars · 17/02/2015 09:26

When I met my husband he had a pregnant ex girlfriend. Their relationship lasted a few months and ended before the pregnancy was realised. The baby is now two years old and we have just had a little girl of our own,

My husband pays maintenance but there is no relationship between him, his ex or the baby - they've never met. Please don't judge this, this post is nothing to do with that. If you can accept this and have some suggestions I'd be glad to hear them.

At some point our little one will need to know there is a half sister out there, but how and when do we tell her? I hate the thought that she could get a facebook message or something and feel betrayed that we didn't tell her.

OP posts:
NoStrange · 17/02/2015 18:14

*sand

matchstickpopper · 17/02/2015 18:17

I agree. This thread has made me feel so sad for the poor little girl. I cannot believe grown adults can act this way.

expatinscotland · 17/02/2015 18:17

Jesus wept! I hope my daughter never thinks to little of herself she would give a guy with a pregnant ex-girlfriend the time of day, much less go out with such a total loser.

Piratespoo · 17/02/2015 18:22

So your dh doesn't want contact either? What a charmer. Are you not worried about explaining that to your daughter? And other kid...you don't care if her world isn't "to be safe, secure and happy."

Only1scoop · 17/02/2015 18:24

'Hope it never comes to light' Hmm

'Want our dd to be safe happy and secure'....

Shame that's not how your DP feels about his first born....

Honesty is the best policy here but it sounds almost as if you hope there won't ever be contact....so your dd could never know her ds....

Only1scoop · 17/02/2015 18:25

X post pitate

Only1scoop · 17/02/2015 18:25

Pirate even Confused

Meeeep · 17/02/2015 18:29

I was all for being objective and offering advice until I read your updates. What a horrible attitude to have about a child - you and your husband. You sound well suited and that little girl sounds better off without him. I truly hope one day the girls are able to establish a sibling relationship.

gymboywalton · 17/02/2015 18:30

so...you started going out with a man with a pregnant ex girlfriend and then you got pregnant to him too?
niceHmm

expatinscotland · 17/02/2015 18:32

'so...you started going out with a man with a pregnant ex girlfriend and then you got pregnant to him too?
nicehmm'

It's like a episode of Jeremy Kyle.

Only1scoop · 17/02/2015 18:34

I know you can almost imagine the 'Sperminator' on Jk stage....

TyrannosaurusBex · 17/02/2015 18:35

What about your DH's other daughter's 'safe, secure and happy little world'? Or is it just children of his current relationship who deserve that?

Jesus wept. I've rarely read a thread that made me so angry.

Bluetonic123 · 17/02/2015 18:44

Loving all the posters pretendING they want the back story to help when they are blatantly just curious

NoStrange · 17/02/2015 18:46

I'm definitely curious as to what is preventing this man from having any contact with his child.

Joysmum · 17/02/2015 18:53

Bluetonic123 Grin

No need for details to say, the OP's child may well think when older that if his first child isn't part of her dads life, could she be at risk of that happening to her and her mum if they upset him. They need to have some answers.

expatinscotland · 17/02/2015 18:55

I'm curious as to who would go out with such a skank of a human being, much less procreate with him willingly.

Chippednailvarnish · 17/02/2015 19:03

Nostrange has hit the nail on the head.

Let's hope the other little girl on this thread isn't contacted in the future by the OP's child. Mind you the OP seems to absolutely no consideration for her feelings...

lbnblbnb · 17/02/2015 19:39

Op, I have been in a similar situation. I am not going into details here! You have to mention the sister regularly enough for your DD to have always known about her. Eventually there will be questions, which you will have to deal with in an age appropriate way. But you will make your DD incredibly insecure if she eventually realises that she has had a secret half sister. Good luck.

gymboywalton · 17/02/2015 19:40

I'm curious as to who would go out with such a skank of a human being, much less procreate with him willingly.

this

TheyLearnedFromBrian · 17/02/2015 19:43

I just so dearly want her little world to be safe, secure and happy.

Given the circumstances, that comment... well there are no words. Few words, maybe. Perverse? Ironic? Utterly shameless? I don't know.

So your DD. She is utterly precious, irreplaceable, you would jump in front of a bus for her. Yes?

Well, to your H, her dad, she is all that because she fits the picture, and if she didn't, she'd be disposable, forgettable, yesterday's trash.

Your DD's world isn't 'safe, secure and happy', and it never will be, no matter how much you play pretend with the setup you have now. Because her dad is a grotesque parody of a dad, a man who can bear to cuddle, tickle, be proud of his little angel when he has another child, another DD, who he is able to discard like rubbish. How would you feel if that were your baby?! Could you sleep at night? Could you look at your DD without wondering whether her sister looked like her, talked like her, laughed like her?

Grotesque really is the word.

Look, I can kind of understand - or at least, before you had your own child - wanting it to be like this, wanting it perfect, wanting it to be your perfect nuclear family. But it isn't, there is another family member out there, and when your DD grows bigger, she is going to look at her dad and KNOW that when he beams with pride at her, that it doesn't come from that primal love a parent has for their child, because he doesn't know what that is. She's going to think instead, yes, you love me and I'm your precious DD because I fitted the picture. You - both of you, you will both be tarred with this - might well not feel the real impact of this kind of destruction of the heart of a family until she has her own children - oh god, she'll judge him then.

Safe, happy and secure is achievable. But not this way. Contact his ex. Make it honest. Not perfect (that's never the case anyway, really) but honest. Otherwise, it's all built on sand.

Iflyaway · 17/02/2015 19:45

Well, you have a daughter by him who is 4 weeks old and he has a daughter two years older.

Don't stress about it now. Plenty of time to deal with all that.

However, it's how he is dealing with this is the answer to it all.

I hope you will not be that mother of his 2-year-old two years down the line... call me stupid

Please, get your ducks in a row for you and your child.

Eltonjohnsflorist · 17/02/2015 19:46

It's difficult because your partner has never met her, you've never net her, and you don't intend to so what are you supposed to say about her to your daughter? I can't think of anything that won't lead straight to "I want to meet her" (in later life)

I don't think I could really decide until DD is in a position to hold and understand conversations and by then the whole situation could've changed- you haven't been together very long have you? 4/5 years in the future is a long time.

Curious though, your partner obv has a lot of unprotected sex, aren't you worried about diseases? The thought is making me a little nauseous

TheyLearnedFromBrian · 17/02/2015 19:47

Oh and yes, what expat said. OP, you have a child. You know. What the hell goes through your mind - and your heart - when you look at your husband and see in front of you a man that can do this - just walk away? A Judas. Safe and secure, your child, with him? No. She is not.

Eltonjohnsflorist · 17/02/2015 19:49

" I'm sorry you just seem so much more concerned about your own child than your husband's other daughter, I really can't get my head round that. "

Seriously matchstick? Of course she's more concerned about her own daughter than a stranger!

WeAllHaveWings · 17/02/2015 19:59

Easy enough to explain a sister as others have said, but I have no idea how you would explain to your daughter that she has a dad who either doesn't give a toss about his first child enough to make contact or isn't allowed to see because he's behaved badly. Harder to get her to respect someone like that.

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