Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

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

Why do they have the right? Why is it fair?

124 replies

g059902 · 11/12/2016 21:18

How is it then men have the right to be...a part of/the leader in creating a family; a home; becoming a step parent and creating a bond with that child; persuading and promising to "always do the right thing" and be sure they work as part of a partnership through all the good and bad times that come with starting a family; be present at a women's most vulnerable, emotional and intimate moments of giving birth and bringing a life into the world and then just decide to leave.
I understand that are always factors that are to be taken into consideration, however, generally on the whole, when there was "true" happiness, but things get a bit rocky, how is it men have the option and think it is "normal" and acceptable to just leave? I am not talking about just my own circumstances, it happens all the time. You hear of men just leaving and as in my circs, I imagine it is a common theme that they will use any excuse, any reason, any flaw to somehow justify what they have done. Women since the age of time and probably for the rest of time, have been left "holding the baby"; managing the household; finances; ensuring their children are happy, as much as they can be when this happens; dealing with schools; doctors; appointments; illness; sleepless nights etc etc etc and all the while men think it is somehow ok, or justifiable to do this . And furthermore, take pride in creating a new life.
I just do not get it and I also do not see why they should be allowed to simply opt to do the part time dad thing and again, this be ok. When did this become so accepted and just a part of life that people need to get over?

This is not the life I wanted for my babies and neither do I think I should have to accept it just because that's a decision he has made. People around me say "he's too young" (hes 6 years my junior, early 20s) and he will realize his mistake one day; he wont ever get back this time; etc etc etc it still does not make it either justifiable or acceptable. However, society says it is and legally, it is. There is no moral justification to what I see as something that is probably the most important thing in life to be cast aside like a one night stand or left over food.
Why should I accept that my ex has decided that "there were aspects of my personality" he didn't like, and clearly he wasn't prepared to be the partner I was to him and help me to be the best version of myself and so ducked out of "our family" and within 24 hours into a new relationship to ensure that any opportunity that "could have" been was certainly not going to ever be.

So lets say things were bad (at the time we argued, a lot, I had PND and he was not engaging in the family unit as he should do but instead focused on his own wants and needs out until early hours, lack of engagement with the children lives; lying about where abouts and money; not supporting me as the bread winner when it was my time to work), someone decides they cant be bothered to put up with the arguments and leaves, fine (well not really but can be worked on), but surely, in the majority of these situations after the heat has died down as parents; adults; people who were apparently "in love" only a few weeks ago, it would be "normal" to allow what is meant to be, be. But, not here, here we have someone who has forced a situation and then moved in and on with someone else immediately, with no thought about what was a family unit.
But... this is acceptable, and I am just to get over it and on with life. Not only has my heart been broken, but my family unit, the life I created for my children has been shattered and will never be what it should be. My baby will never ever grow up having memories of climbing into bed on a weekend morning and cuddling/laughing; she won't have the Sunday afternoons of just lounging out after an activity or walk in the morning playing with daddy while Mummy cooks a roast and prepares for school and the work week; excitement on the preparation to Christmas and family holidays etc and all of the other cherished memories a child will hold on to. This person has managed to define, his; mine and my 2 children's lives and all that is to be done is move on and get over it.
How? How do you accept the fact that someone has been allowed to firstly do this, but secondly fail to give the family/a relationship any opportunity to either exist or not?

Why should women accept this? Why is this ok? And why should I now have to live without a section of my children's lives because of someone else's decision?

There are legal rights in place to protect absent parents who are fighting to be a part of their children lives, but what about for the parents that have been well and truly screwed over; abonded and left holding all the responsibility; the pain etc etc.

This is not fair on my children or I and for the many thousands of other families that go through this. The one thing in life that should be a serious commitment and not thrown away at the drop if a hat is a family and it is the most common thing that happens.

Its one thing to accept a relationship breakdown, fine these happen, but to disregard what should be something so pure and true without no second thought, that relationship and family unit, how is this ok on a moral level if nothing else!

OP posts:
Angrybird123 · 11/12/2016 21:47

It's not and i totally get everything you say. I would have actually quite liked a 50/50 arrangement when my ex unilaterally decided with the help of ow that he was far too unhappy to stay. But now he sees them about two days a month and i do absolutely every single thing. It sucks and it's fucking unfair.

jeaux90 · 11/12/2016 21:52

I have no answer. I'm a single mum. But I tell you, what every single one of us doing this is fucking awesome xxxx

HeavenlyEyes · 11/12/2016 21:57

I completely agree with you. My ex has not bothered to contact our DC for nearly 5 years. And it is entirely his loss. But I agree - why do they walk away, and how on earth do you abandon your DC anyway? I have no clue how on earth they manage it as it would be impossible for me to do I think.

SleepingTiger · 11/12/2016 22:01

Because it is all too easy to weedle out of responsibility if someone wants to.

Inthenick · 11/12/2016 22:09

I think you have to realise that you walk away with the better deal in the end anyway.

But I do get what you are saying.

statetrooperstacey · 11/12/2016 22:12

No it's not fair is it and it's not right and I believe most people do not think its in Any way acceptable.
I'm sure he will be judged and found to be morally bankrupt.
He will tell people his side and try and rewrite your history to look like less of a shit but 95 % of people will able to see through that and will indeed see he is a fucking massive shit.
Your children will still do all those things and you can make wonderful memories with them yourself, maybe in the future with you and ans a new partner. Your life feels understandably bleak right now, but you will be ok, you really will. One day at a time.

Cluesue · 11/12/2016 22:15

I was ranting at the ex about this very thing yesterday,how I'm stuck with it all and he swans in and out as he sees fit😡😡

prettywhiteguitar · 11/12/2016 22:18

Because legally they can just walk away if there was a legal requirement it would be a different matter.

Boolovessulley · 11/12/2016 22:20

Lots of people say that man/woman should be free to start a new family.
It's of women are resentful of gbe ex and his mifs

Boolovessulley · 11/12/2016 22:22

Resentful of the ex and his kids.

SkyblueAnnie · 11/12/2016 22:43

I agree completely OP and ironically so did my ex until he decided to leave.

He had a new girlfriend with indecent haste ( if not before he left) and now enjoys all the benefits of being child free including weekends away and the freedom to work without considering childcare etc. I'm sure his new girlfriend isn't tired from working and raising kids and is much more fun to date.

He does just enough to convince himself he didn't leave his kids but doesn't have any if the hard work associated with having children.

It would be nice to think he is being judged for this but I suspect the new woman and his friends etc buy the doting dad who had no choice but to leave act

I have had my whole life turned upside down and the only choice I have in this is whether to 'get over' it or not.

The hardest part of all of this is how I've been forced into the role if 'bitter ex who can't move on'. This is not me and I am trying not to be defined by how he has treated me but it is very hard.

As a pp said we will have the better deal in the long run. It is hard now but not having my kids with me would be the worst thing I could imagine. I already resent that I lose time with them because of his choices so I suppose I should be grateful that I have them nearly all of the time.

I will get over it eventually but I will always be angry that he made it so much harder for me than it needed to be.

tallwivglasses · 11/12/2016 22:47

I'm with you 100 per cent. Ex dp and I split up years ago but we still pareneed together fairly amicably because our son is disabled. A year ago he fucked off to another part of the UK because he 'wasn't happy'

tallwivglasses · 11/12/2016 22:57

Yes it's infuriating. Ex dp rang me from his short holiday away a year ago and said he wasn't coming back. He was happier there and he'd done his bit for 16 years. DS is severely disabled and will never be independent . He also blew out my dd and dgs. DS has been ill in hospital recently and he couldn't be arsed to make the 2 hour journey. It's been a year but he scypes DS and plays guitar to him so that's okay. Not a penny either. I cannot begin to understand how anyone could sleep at night having walked out on their kids.

tallwivglasses · 11/12/2016 22:58

Sorry I lost 1st message then it reappeared. It's shit

ImprovisingNow · 11/12/2016 22:59

It's not fair at all, but the way things are structured at the moment I can absolutely see why men do it because they can't lose.

So if family life gets a bit hard, or if your GF or wife isn't as young and fresh and entertaining as she was, a man can find himself a new OW (no need to leave the relationship first because there is no longer any social downside to having people know you are a cheater), pay the absolute minimum in maintenance while telling her she is a sponger, knowing that the procedures for enforcement are laughable and, if he does decide he wants some time with the children, bleat about his rights as a father and the courts will bend over backwards to make sure he gets what he wants, regardless of whether he has met his responsibilities or not.

It's a pattern I have seen repeated over and over again: irresponsible men and rock solid women picking up the shit they leave behind.

It won't change until (i) society imposes some sort of sanction for this behaviour and (ii) the law around maintenance for both children and mothers of children (whether married or not) and parental responsibility changes. So that's not any time soon then!

normastits5 · 11/12/2016 23:00

Because society no longer judges . You can get away with almost any crappy behaviour now because it is no longer acceptable to judge a person by their bad behaviour. Progress?

tallwivglasses · 11/12/2016 23:00

.....OP - I really feel for you. At least you're doing the right thing by your kids and in the long run they'll appreciate it

PsychedelicSheep · 11/12/2016 23:03

I know it hurts and feels deeply unfair, and it is but its still 100 x better than living with someone who isn't in love with you and has growing resentment for you.

Men should absolutely be held more accountable financially for their children than they are at the moment, it's not ok for the cms to be so inept and making them pay up.

engineersthumb · 11/12/2016 23:06

Unfortunately sometimes relationships fail. That failure may be mainly due to one or both partners. Its not just men that leave or that contribute to the failure of a relationship. Whilst its not right for someone to abandon their responsibilities neither is it correct or acceptable to tarnish all men in this way. Indeed there are certainly cases of men being driven away or driven into the ground by their former partners. Women most frequently end up as primary career its true but this is generally at the volition of the woman. Only this week there was a thread saying how inappropriate it was for a man to be awarded 50% custody, one person even saying hat they would fight a 50% custody deal because she would loose CM!
The point is you are unfairly tarnishing all men with the same brush.

PsychedelicSheep · 11/12/2016 23:07

Inept AT making them pay up that should say!

but you can't force someone to be an involved dad if they're heart isn't in it, probably because they're just too selfish to not put themselves first before anyone else, even their own kids.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 11/12/2016 23:07

I agree with you completely that it happens and it shouldn't happen. But, can you imagine if there was some kind of legislation in place that tied a couple together so that they were unable to leave for whatever reason? It would be awful. More horrendous than the scenario that you've described.

We cannot force somebody to commit for the long term, no matter what they say. We can make a best assessment before we choose to have children with these men but we have actually no idea of what they'll be like as a father or as half of the couple that we envisage, after conception. It's a risky business and, if we were more sensible, perhaps we wouldn't embark on it at all. But we do because we have optimism, hope and faith that we've picked a good one - and sometimes we'll be lucky, the stars will be aligned and we'll stay the course as a couple.

That said, nobody has a perfect relationship. I know of several married women who are clueless that their perfect husband is cheating on them, two of them have long-term girlfriends even but, outwardly, everything is perfect and rosy n the garden. Just maybe that house of cards will NOT come crashing down but still, it's not the relationship that we would want, I think.

It is always the woman who is left with the baby because the alternative - in the face of a father walking away - is that the mother walks away also. It happens and those babies are looked after by the state. There is nothing to compel a parent to actively care for their child(ren) but it's rare for a woman to walk away.

Sometimes, parents can be apart and peacefully co-parent their children and that's the best deal out of an intolerable situation.

The upshot is that feelings cannot be legislated for or against. They can't be forced or coerced and once they've gone the relationship is over.

I'm sorry that you're in this situation; your child still has you and who knows what the future holds? Perhaps your ex-partner will want to step up as a dad? Perhaps you will meet somebody new who would like a ready-made family? We have to have hope, it's what keeps us going.

PsychedelicSheep · 11/12/2016 23:11

I actually think 50/50 residency should be considered the standard, assuming both parties are capable of being decent parents and non-abusive etc. Thinking parenting should just be womens work is sexist and old fashioned in this day and age and allows feckless, irresponsible men to do fuck all.

HandyWoman · 11/12/2016 23:14

Oh OP I love what you wrote above and agree with every word.

tallwivglasses 'he Skypes ds and plays him guitar so that's Ok'

Hahahahahaahahahahahaha that's given me the best laugh I've had this evening whilst singlehandedly prepping for Xmas, holding down a job, grounding my teenager and consoling my dd with ASD about how difficult school is, meanwhile exH tells me he'll bung the kids £100 for Xmas, way to go

ItShouldHaveBeenJingleJess · 11/12/2016 23:19

I agree with you, and if one thing winds me up on MN, it's when you get a mum complaining about her ex messing about with contacts (especially when the agreed amount is as little as twice as month), and other women will pile in defending the fucker and spouting shit like "At least he's trying, he sounds like a good dad, blah blah blah".

Grrrrrrrrr Angry.

tallwivglasses · 11/12/2016 23:23

Handywoman. Thank god for a sense of humour eh?Grin xxx

Swipe left for the next trending thread