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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 poor 13 year old daughter

19 replies

Stephanie2018 · 10/08/2025 11:51

I feel so sorry for her.
a bit of back story if you have the time to read.

lived with her dad from the age of 7 (he lives about 5 hours away up north) because I was not in a good place , I was struggling financially and mentally.
fast forward to now I have my career , house, a new baby, doing good.
anyway. She now lives with me, has done since April. She chose to live here because of the parental alienation that was going on, and the control issues he had.
for the years that she was there I was never sent pictures, school reports, I was spoken to like a dog. When heavily pregnant he made me drive all the way up north as he refused to take her half way so that she could go to my brothers wedding. He would check her conversations from me and question her. He would not let her talk about me or get excited over her new little baby sister who was on the way at the time. He openly told her I gave her up even though she was still visiting me in the holidays, albeit she was only ever allowed a week, two weeks max with me. This was not done through courts it was a mutual agreement for her to live there with him whilst I sorted myself out and got through uni. He couldn’t co parent. I’d have to call his dad to speak about dates. Dates were not given to me until last minute (I’m talking the day before) so I never knew when I was next seeing her. She had become cold and detached towards me and said it didn’t really feel as though I was her mum. Her dad put a post on Facebook that I saw by having a sneak, saying happy Mother’s Day to his wife, saying I couldn’t ask for a better MUM for “our daughter’s name”. He was abusive to me verbally. Told me it wasn’t his fault I decided to have another baby so I’d best come pick our daughter up all the way or I won’t see her at all. Used to threaten me that I’d never see her again because he knew he was so far away I would panic and becom anxiety ridden.

I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have my daughter back and to be rebuilding that bond. I’ve got her in to a beautiful school up the road from where I work. She is bonding with her baby sister and it is just gorgeous. However he has turned his back on her. He said to her if she doesn’t come home he wants nothing to do with her and that I’m a crazy psycho filling her head with crap. He called me a prostitute on the phone to her aswell. She said she wanted to stay with me but still see him and speak to him but he won’t and hasn’t spoken to her since April. He has gone to social services claiming I am a sex worker and that I haven’t got her into a school or been trying (I was trying and have now sorted)
she’s heart broken. Absolutely heart broken. She said she wants to hurt herself a few weeks ago and it frightened the life out of me. She has vivid dreams, she misses her nan and grandad so much. None of them up there have so much as called the girl to ask if she is ok. It’s sickening.
im going to refer her to mental health team at school when she starts in sep. she’s just been to stay with her friend up north for two weeks which she loved and NEEDED! And I’ve booked us a holiday next year me her, partner and baby sister.
is there anything else I can do for her? That man is pure evil…..

i forgot to add he did actually contact her the other day to tell her that her uncle had died of cancer last week. She replied “I’m so sorry, was he in any pain when he died :( “ he replied “yes he was” and I went mental and told him to stop messaging our daughter as I know from my career that people dying of cancer do not die in pain they have comfort care and even if he did die in pain, who says that to a young girl who is already so sad????

thank you so much for reading if you got this far

OP posts:
WonderingWanda · 10/08/2025 15:56

Poor girl. He sounds vile and am not convinced you sound much better. You appeae to have prioritised getting a degree, a new relationship and new baby before getting her back and away from this abusive prick.

vodkaredbullgirl · 10/08/2025 16:00

This thread isn't going to end well, like the last one.

ninjahamster · 10/08/2025 16:13

Your poor daughter. If he was so abusive, why did you not go to court and sort out better access? It just seems strange to me that you would have another child when your older daughter was in need of you.
I wouldn’t sweat the little things. Telling your daughter her uncle was in pain may well have been honest, sadly some people are.
I hope she gets some stability now.

Pinkissmart · 10/08/2025 16:14

What do you mean ' not in a good place?'

I feel like there's more to this story.

HappySummerDays · 10/08/2025 16:15

Neither or you come out well in this scenario. You left her with this man for years.

ThejoyofNC · 10/08/2025 16:20

What do you want, sympathy? You had a daughter who you knew was living in an abusive home and instead of doing anything and everything to save her, you went and had a new baby. And you're both fucking with her head constantly.

MoggetsCollar · 10/08/2025 16:22

Both of you have messed up for this kid. You just as much, if not more than him.

Glitchymn1 · 10/08/2025 16:24

people dying of cancer do not die in pain… they do.

Work on the relationship you have with your child, stop mentioning her dad, it sounds like he was there when you weren’t. Poor child. None of this sounds great, start putting it right OP and keep her dad’s name out of your mouth.

Zanatdy · 10/08/2025 16:26

He is an idiot, and very cruel. But yes, people do often (more often than not) die in pain from cancer.

Lavender14 · 10/08/2025 16:32

I think you're going to end up with a bit of a pile on here op but moving forwards I'd say focus on helping her develop her roots where you are. You need to be prepared to have age appropriately honest conversations with her about why you left etc and I'd do this with the likes of camhs in place and after consultation with her worker as to the best way to go about this.

Maybe link her in with local youth services to help her make friends and for the additional support while waiting for camhs if that's not already started.

outerspacepotato · 10/08/2025 16:36

If she said she wanted to hurt herself, a mental health crisis team should have been contacted then and there. (I'm US so don't know what you have there).

Don't wait until Sept. She needs mental health care NOW!!!!!! if she's having suicidal ideation.

arethereanyleftatall · 10/08/2025 16:38

problem for you op is that the worse you make her father sound, then the worse you are for letting her stay there whilst you prioritised a new relationship and a new baby.
either he is absolutely horrendous and thus your only priority should have been fighting for her.
or he isn’t that bad.

RockyRogue1001 · 10/08/2025 16:43

vodkaredbullgirl · 10/08/2025 16:00

This thread isn't going to end well, like the last one.

Could you expand a little on this, please @vodkaredbullgirl?

Tofudinosaur · 10/08/2025 16:46

what would you do differently in life…?
Stephanie2018 · 23/01/2025 20:16
Been a better mum to my first daughter.

please just start trying to do this. Stop focussing on nonsense. If your ex is crazy then try be the sane and stable one if you can

HappySummerDays · 10/08/2025 16:48

@RockyRogue1001
The op didn’t like the responses she got when she posted this earlier. Wished she could punch one poster straight in the face, called another poster a judgemental cunt.
Thread deleted shortly thereafter.

vodkaredbullgirl · 10/08/2025 16:51

HappySummerDays · 10/08/2025 16:48

@RockyRogue1001
The op didn’t like the responses she got when she posted this earlier. Wished she could punch one poster straight in the face, called another poster a judgemental cunt.
Thread deleted shortly thereafter.

Edited

This

FionnulaTheCooler · 10/08/2025 16:57

Poor girl. I feel sorry for her too. What a shame at least one of her parents couldn't act like a grown up and put her best interests first. I hope things start to look up once she starts her new school and hopefully begins to build friendships there.

RockyRogue1001 · 10/08/2025 16:58

Interesting.

Thank you.

I won't comment further in that case

SpryCat · 10/08/2025 17:00

You need to step back on the shit he inflicted on you whilst she lived with him, it’s about your estranged daughter needing to feel unconditional loved and cared for by you and getting to know you and the baby. She was told you abandoned her so she wants to feel no matter what she does, or how she behaves you will love her and she has a home with you, even if she moved back with her dad, she could still come back.
She needs help because of what she has been told in the past and how he is being nasty because he feels she betrayed him by coming to live with him. She feels guilt and feels responsible for his anger, she knows he’s not very nice but she needs professional help to stop the pain she feels.

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