Am reposting here as only one response on other thread and I really don't know what to do.
Sorry if this is long. My DS7 stays at his Dad's overnight each month 8-10 days. I don't have too much contact with his Dad as he's very difficult and it's just not worth wasting energy with arguing. He does, however, treat our son well.
DS7 has 1 older step sibling and 2 younger half siblings at his Dad's.
DS7 and I have always been very close. He would only spend 4 nights a month at his Dad's before Covid.
DS7 has always suffered from slight separation anxiety with me, which flares up at certain times (whenever I leave him at school, at his Dad's etc).
For the past 6 months (roughly) DS7 has been getting extremely worked up at the thought of going to his Dad's and gets upset when he knows he's going. The last occasion he had a full on meltdown in the car on the way there, tears, asking why I'm forcing him to go, scratched himself on his arms a few times. He clung to me when we arrived and my ex had to peel him off me. He settled eventually (once I'd left).
DS7 is due to go to his Dad's tomorrow for the weekend and this morning he has started getting upset already. It breaks my heart. He says he doesn't want to go for the 3 nights, he wants to go for just 1.
I've tried talking to my ex about this but he doesn't want to know and says that he'll get over it eventually. AIBU to say that contact should be reduced for the meantime, or would that just make things worse? I literally can't have a proper conversation with my ex.