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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

My partner lets his 18 year old control his life

149 replies

ThisGreyLurker · 21/04/2025 13:11

I am at my wits end, I have been with my partner for nearly 3 years and am in a three-way relationship where I am the third wheel. I have my own house and my partner has his. Due to a change in my circumstances, I am struggling to maintain living in my house (which he says is nothing to do with him) and thought that after 3 years together we should be thinking about moving in together. However, I am not the "partner" in our relationship (or at least that is how it feels) and my needs and wants are not important. His now 18 year old daughter currently lives with her mum but spends most of her time at weekends at his. He has recently come into money and is looking to buy a big house. He is doing this mainly because his daughter wants to move in with him and her room in his current house she feels is not big enough for her (it is a double room). She gets a say in what house they buy and is finding properties she likes and going on viewings with him and if he likes somewhere and she doesn't then that is it! She has just said that she thinks he should up his budget by about £50k so that she gets what she wants in the house. She has a say on everything in his life - what car he has, what clothes he buys / wears, where they go on holiday, where and what they eat, what he spends his money on and what they do at weekends. He pays for everything for her (even though she has a part time job) including her hair, her clothes, her make up, her toiletries, her tattoos, the fuel for her car, her car itself, the car insurance, the modifications that she wanted for her car, the new ipad that she had to have, expensive weekends away, expensive holidays, festival tickets - the list goes on. I don't think she likes me much, sometimes she barely acknowledges me and if me and my partner go out without her, she asks him how much he spent - and he tells her! It is like she feels that he should spend all his money on her and nothing on me (I do always pay my way but my financial circumstances are not great and nowhere near as good at his). When there is the 3 of us, they walk together sometimes arm in arm and I tag behind. On holiday, he will sit with her and I sit on my own and we have to do and go where she wants. I just think that she has too much control over his life - it is everything (he will go and change if she tells him to and will buy clothes because she tells him too) and he asks her opinion about everything and takes it fully into account. When they get "their" house, she will be choosing all the decoration and they will live together in harmony, cooking together, doing everything together. My question is, where does that leave me?? I feel like the third wheel and not a part of it and I want a proper relationship, one where I am the "partner" and treated as such - is this wrong?? I am not getting any younger and don't what to waste anymore time on a relationship that isn't going anywhere. He can't see it and says that she will get whatever she wants and that is the way it is and she will come first (which I understand but not to this extent) and he will get the house she wants, will always buy her want she wants, do what she wants and spend all the time with her that she wants (which is a lot as she does not have a lot of friends at all).
I would welcome thoughts as it is affecting my mental health terribly and I am on a downward spiral as I am so confused. I thank you all in advance x

OP posts:
PowderRoom · 21/04/2025 13:15

The relationship isn’t working for you. I wouldn’t waste any more time in it. It’s ridiculous to think about moving in together, with the daughter you seem to view as a rival, when you’re clearly this unhappy with the relationship as it stands, especially if this desire to move in is driven by your financial problems.

CopperWhite · 21/04/2025 13:16

She’s only 18 which is still plenty young enough to need a parents support.

Your partner is presumably happy with his relationship with his daughter and their future housing plans, so who are you to try and change it? New partners are not as important as existing children. If you want a relationship where your partner helps support your housing needs then you need a different relationship because no happiness will come from your trying to mould this man who is doing nothing wrong into what you want.

CluelessAboutBiology · 21/04/2025 13:16

Walk away. His life is too closely enmeshed with his daughter’s life and there is no room for you.

romdowa · 21/04/2025 13:18

Time to move on and stop wasting your time with this weird situation

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 21/04/2025 13:18

Sounds just like my Dh relationship with dd. It makes me very happy that they are so close.

Shes going to uni in our home tcity next year so will be living at home. Shes very vocal on interiors!

Eggsboxedandmelting · 21/04/2025 13:18

You need to walk away.. He has a woman already.

Jammiesdodger · 21/04/2025 13:20

Cut him loose. It'll only get worse

CreationNat1on · 21/04/2025 13:21

She has been around a lot longer than you, and will be after you.

If you don't want a man with baggage, don't datd one. This isn't a daughter problem, it's incompatibility. He will not finance your life.

candycane222 · 21/04/2025 13:24

That does sound weirdly close and presumably some residual guilt/angst/sorrow/regret/jealousy (delete as appropriate) from the split with jer mum means he is only to happy to please his dd in every which way.

If you want a boyfriend for midweek dates and shags, maybe the odd holiday this guy might potentially be fine for you.

But you say you want a partner/live-in relationship. You won't get it here.

CopperWhite · 21/04/2025 13:27

Why are people saying it’s weird for them to be close?

If an 18 year old girl helped her Mum choose new decoration for their home and they did some cooking together, no one would bat an eyelid.

HeatedBlanketAllYear · 21/04/2025 13:28

I imagine quite a lot of women on here would want a father to have this close a relationship with his daughter. She is his priority and that won’t change.
But that means there’s no space for you to be a partner in his life. That’s not going to change either. It’s time to leave and find someone who wants the same kind of relationship that you do.

Doingmybest12 · 21/04/2025 13:31

This is their family dynamic for now, it doesn't sound like it's what you want from a relationship. I think it's time you moved on.

anniegun · 21/04/2025 13:32

Him being very close to his only child is a problem for you. Just move on and find someone without children

AnSolas · 21/04/2025 13:32

You are not in a real partnership are you?

At best you are FWB as he is not willing to make space for you in his long term plans.

Forget about the daughter this is the important bit:

I am struggling to maintain living in my house (which he says is nothing to do with him)

If he is not willing to offer an opinion (without suggestions on how you could reorganise your current financial situation to maintain the existing status quo) he is not seeing himself as your live partner.

MounjaroOnMyMind · 21/04/2025 13:35

Men like this shouldn't be in a relationship, OP. This isn't your fault at all. You deserve someone much better than him.

I'm sorry you're struggling to keep your own home going at the moment. Is this due to the cost of living?

SuperTrooper14 · 21/04/2025 13:36

How long ago did he split from his ex? If it’s the case that he’s always been a weekend dad you can see why he would be excited and prioritising his DD to come and live with him. Plus his comment about your living situation being nothing to do with him is a massive sign that he doesn’t see the relationship to be as serious as you do. He doesn’t want to get enmeshed with you financially, clearly.

PullTheBricksDown · 21/04/2025 13:36

I am struggling to maintain living in my house (which he says is nothing to do with him

I'm sorry, but he's telling you he is not a real partner to you. He doesn't want you to be a team. Break up with him and get some financial advice on the house situation. And some counselling to help you think about the future and avoid relationships like this.

Sunrise8888 · 21/04/2025 13:38

This is totally weird and disrespectful. I’m sorry but if my partner would treat our daughter like that I would not be happy either. I’m not even saying stepdaughter. It should be an equal relationship. It looks like they are a couple and not you and your partner. Definitely walk away from this, you have wasted your time long enough. Nothing will change unless his daughter will get married but that could be another 20 years 😂 Find yourself a nice man who will treat you well. Good luck with it!

Moving in with the partner and wanting relationship to progress is totally normal.

cestlavielife · 21/04/2025 13:42

He is right
Your housing is not his responsibility
You are not getting married.
Get in a lodger or sell up and move elsewhere
Keep him as a man to date if you want
Orive on as you cannot stand his relationship with his daughter and it will only cause ongoing jealousy.
Probably best you move on .

Screamingabdabz · 21/04/2025 13:44

Being treated like a third wheel would be a deal breaker for me. How have you put up with this for 3 years? Time to part ways and get your mental health back.

dogcatkitten · 21/04/2025 13:46

I don't know what you expect, he has a daughter that he obviously loves and wants to look after. They have a close loving relationship, which makes a change from some of the horror stories on here. While she is with him he's being mum and dad to her, and he may well enjoy her (womanly) input into his life. If or when she leaves, gets married or sets up her own home he may be more available, but he's pretty much occupied right now.

And unfortunately your money problems are not his problems, he has his own priorities. Sounds like it would be really toxic for you and him and his daughter to try to live together anyway.

Maitri108 · 21/04/2025 13:47

Are you normally such a wet lettuce? You're actually going on holiday and trailing around behind your boyfriend and his daughter and sitting apart from them?

Fraaances · 21/04/2025 13:49

He’s not your partner. Move on.

Yankeescot · 21/04/2025 14:01

I dated someone years ago with a very similar dynamic. I understand where you're coming from that it's not a normal parent/child dynamic.
I always felt like the 3rd wheel when we went out. We only ever went out without his adult Daughter once, which was our first date. She came to every date thereafter. They would sit opposite me holding hands in between bites of dinner. She was 22 or 23. She dictated everything he wore/ate/how many hours she'd allow him to work etc.
It was too weird and I couldn't continue. Run OP!

candycane222 · 21/04/2025 14:01

I do think the dd telling dad what to wear and how much to spend on which house is weird, sorry.

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