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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

ExH telling me boyfriend can’t stay over!

120 replies

toobusytothink · 16/07/2019 12:43

Husband and I amicably split up a year ago. Both of us are now seeing other people. On very good terms. I am in the old family home until we put it on the market next year and he has bought somewhere else. This was agreed - I would prefer to sell now but we decided it would provide bit of stability for kids. We have 2 kids 13 and 12 who live with me except for one day a week.

He has just messaged me to tell me that he doesn’t want my bf staying over when our kids are with him! WTF! Am trying to remain calm but can’t think of an appropriate reply ... I mean I understand him not wanting him to stay when I have the kids, but not sure he can even do that, but really? When they are with him? He’s asked if I can stay at my boyfriend’s place instead...

OP posts:
IncrediblySadToo · 16/07/2019 15:46

Share not scare!

Disfordarkchocolate · 16/07/2019 15:48

I agree it's time to sell up and move on. It's none of his business, and it sounds like he likes the way the current arrangement keeps you under his control. Time to remind him that you are separated and he gets no control over your relationship.

IncrediblySadToo · 16/07/2019 15:50

It was a bit thiughtlesss to tell your bf when your STBEXH said!

Plus he didn’t say your bf was a charity anyway.

toobusytothink · 16/07/2019 16:16

Thank you all. Yes you’re right - we need to sell and get finances agreed. It’s not right to carry on like this and not fair to my bf or his gf.

Incrediblysadtoo yes I agree - but we promised not to keep anything from each other. I know those weren’t his exact words but it was implied ...

OP posts:
IncrediblySadToo · 16/07/2019 16:28

There’s a difference between ‘no secrets/not keeping anything from each other’ and repeating hurtful comments made by other people! Neither of you need to know absolutely everything other people say to the other one surely!!?

Your bf is reacting a bit childishly here too, being ‘crushed’ by a comment your EXDH made. His opinion of your bf shouldn’t carry that much weight as far as your nbf is concerned.

Ottoman line though is still that DTBEXH needs to be told it’s none of his business who is staying and that the house needs selling so YOU can move on as he already has!

MyCatHatesEverybody · 16/07/2019 16:28

Your ex wants to have his cake and eat it - he may pay the majority of the costs but you are the one stuck in the house bringing up your DCs. By his logic you are doing all the hard graft all week to enable him to live in another house without those caring responsibilities, you don't do it so he can have his girlfriend round all week so he should stop seeing her. Twat.

IncrediblySadToo · 16/07/2019 16:29

And that my phone is fucking annoying!

Ottoman? Bottom
& probably another 20 mistakes that should be fixed 🙄

WhatTheAbsoluteFuck · 16/07/2019 16:30

“No I can’t stay at DPs because you only have DCs one night a week.”

pudding21 · 16/07/2019 16:41

My ex told me the same thing, and he is still living in our old house (I am in a new one!). I told him to fuck off. Then he told me "makse sure the kids dont see him coming out of your bedroom). We have been seeing each other for almost 2 years, and only recently has he started to stay t the weekends when I feel it is appropriate. Kids haven't batted an eyelid, and ex has now backed off.

The irony is, literally the weekend after he told me not to have him stay over when the kids were here, he invited a woman and her two kids to come and stay in our old family home, with my kids, who he had only met ONCE from tinder...........Idiot.

Its male pride. And control.

toobusytothink · 16/07/2019 18:30

OMG pudding - that’s appalling!
Thing is I love having my kids with me, I’m fine only seeing bf once a week, but I’m not fine being told I can’t have him over. Apparently it’s still half his house! Well tesco maybe legally but it’s not his home. We have been so sensitive and I have been so reasonable and trusting about finances etc and now pissed off because looks like trust has gone and it’s all going to have to be sorted legally now. Oh well / better I found out now rather than in a year I guess when he could have shafted me financially...

OP posts:
Soconfusedandlost · 16/07/2019 19:21

@DaffoDeffo the new boyfriend stays one night per week while children at the father's property. He has not met the children yet which implies that living together is not even being considered.

OP seems to be doing things "correctly" according to any reasonable judgement so I don't see why the ex feels he has any say in the matter. Especially as any financial judgement wouldn't be affected by the boyfriend staying one night per week and ex is not actually doing you any particular favours by you staying there

RolyWatts · 16/07/2019 19:31

I'm going to go against the grain slightly here.

He doesn't have a right to tell you which visitors you are allowed to have in your home. Of course he doesn't. But please don't tell him to fuck off.

Try to understand his point of view and whilst clearly asserting your boundaries do it respectfully and as kindly as possible. Only because you don't want this to be the start of conflict.

DaffoDeffo · 16/07/2019 19:34

soconfused it was more a warning for the future - even someone not officially cohabitating but staying there a lot can cause problems. I have just known men get quite clever about this through a divorce - pretending to be possessive, talking about 'their' house, their lawyer trying to show that the woman has a new partner who may be contributing financially.

Given that the split is fairly recent, both partners are in new relationships and it sounds like the finances have not been finalised, I would just be cautious. I wouldn't even be sharing any 'relationship' details at this point till absolutely necessary.

toobusytothink · 16/07/2019 20:24

Thank you daffodeffo I appreciate the word of caution. As I said I haven’t even told him that bf stays - think STBXH just assumed. I certainly won’t be sharing any plans of future co-habitation etc with him (not that there are any)

OP posts:
pudding21 · 17/07/2019 08:21

Daffo I didn't actually just tell my ex to fuck off without trying to be amicible and trying to be civil before. After years of emotional abuse and him telling me what to do all the time and continuing to still try to control me almost 3 years after leaving, I reached the end of my rope. I over considered his feelings for WAAAY too long, and in return was not living the life I wanted.

He would openly admit he knows I would always do the best by the kids, which of course were my top priority when introducing my partner. Neither my kids, nor my ex knew about my current partner for a long time, until I worked out myself if the relationship was going anywhere and I understood my current partner etc. Despite knowing and acknowledging I would move at the pace I thought was appropriate, in his down moments he would still call/ text/email his conditions I "should" adhere too. My ex is a very difficult character who can flip between nice and nasty so quick you wouldn't believe.

Anyway, after telling him to fuck off and leave me alone, he actually did back off. I finally stood up to him after years of trying to show him how his behaviour was etc. Up until this point I was still receiving abuse at handover times and random calls/messages etc and it was affecting the kids.

I agree some caution should be applied to the OP, but sometimes abusive controlling men only speak one language. When he knew I was serious, he backed off. As OP is still living in the family home, if there was no prior abuse I think that some understanding of the ex shoud be taken into consideration, I agree with that. I had to draw a line as it was going on too long and I was continuing to midify my behaviour to pacify the ex.

It is only recently he has got the message he cannot control how I spend my money, what I do with the kids when they are with me (although I always inform and discuss with him anything important) and certainly not my future or current relationships. It has taken me a long long time to get to this point.

Blobby10 · 17/07/2019 08:29

ExH's are funny things aren't they?!! I too had an amicable split from mine, we sold the FMH and I bought a big 4 bed house but he paid the mortgage. Terms of the Court Order was that it would be until youngest was 20 and on the understanding that I wouldn't move anyone in or get married in the meantime. Fine by me - i NEVER want to marry again and genuinely have no interest in living with anyone for the foreseeable future.

However, last year HE met someone, wants to get married and told me he would 'pay me off' the remainder of the order in May - in passing, I pointed out how it would release me from the terms of the order and I would be free to live with someone else etc. Funnily enough I haven't heard anything further!! My friend thinks its because he wants to have some form of control over me - which I think is bizarre considering I'm already restricted to where to live as I want to provide my young adult fledglings with a home to come back to! No 2 bed cute little cottage in the little (but expensive) village for me Sad

MargotsFlounceyBlouse · 17/07/2019 08:32

He's not the relationship police tell him to butt out.

toobusytothink · 17/07/2019 08:54

Interestingly I haven’t heard anything else since I replied yesterday afternoon saying we need to sell the house and sort out finances ASAP as it isn’t right that he feels he has control over what I can do. And I need the security of knowing what finances are going to be in a year’s time. He has more of an attachment to the house than I do. He doesn’t want it sold I know that, even if he isn’t living here, but I can’t move on until it is ...

OP posts:
GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 17/07/2019 09:21

Interestingly I haven’t heard anything else since I replied yesterday afternoon saying we need to sell the house and sort out finances ASAP

Funny that... but I think you're definitely doing the right thing. Crack on, and book a valuation with an estate agent to get things moving. Nothing will happen overnight.

LemonTT · 17/07/2019 09:31

I agree that selling the house is the right thing to do. You need a clean break and your own financial independence.

You may need to steel yourself for his reaction. He could get petty. If there isn’t a court order that means squeezing you financially. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he didn’t push your buttons to bring this about anyway.

In situations like this it is best to ignore inappropriate and provocative questions and texts.

toobusytothink · 25/07/2019 09:33

Update: he asked me yesterday if he could drop kids back early on Sunday (it is his weekend with kids). When I said no as I’m away (which he knew) he told me that he might introduce his girlfriend to the kids then!!!! WTAF! So my bf can’t come to my house even when kids aren’t there but his gf comes over to his AND when the kids ARE there! Hypocritical w*er springs to mind. I told him clearly he felt stronger emotions to the family home than our children. His gf doesn’t have kids so he can see her any of the 10 out of 14 days he doesn’t have kids as well ...

OP posts:
ohfourfoxache · 25/07/2019 09:58

What a fucknugget Shock

Keep pushing forward with the sale, the sooner you’re rid of this hypocrite the better

Sunshineandflipflops · 25/07/2019 10:10

I am still in the family home with the kids 18 months after we separated and if my exh even thought about telling me who I can and can't have stay over when he has the kids I would laugh in his face! What a knob!

Pringos · 25/07/2019 10:14

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jellybellydancer · 25/07/2019 10:24

He’s absolutely trying to manipulate you and make you pay for not doing what he told you to do.

You need to try and detach as much as possible. I’d be taking the grey rock approach. Expect this to ramp up as he feels his control is slipping.

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