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Step-parenting

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my husband wants my 14 yr 0ld son out

99 replies

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 07:57

what do i do ? I have 2 kids with him age 4 and 6. My 14 yr old is a naughty boy always causing huge problems at home etc and been excluded from school etc.but I cant just send him away to live with real junkie/dropout father 200 miles away who has had little contact with over the years. I have no family here able to have him so the other option is social services I have had no dealings with ss and dont want to. I have told h i will leave with 14 yr old and he just goes mad.I have been diffussing these flare ups between h and s for years but now they are pratically fighting infront of us, H thinks its a simple matter of choosing him or us. I love my 3 kids the same even if eldest is a horror cant just wash my hands can i or sould i ?

OP posts:
GetOrfMoiLand · 22/07/2010 12:44

Bloody hell hunky no wonder your son is angry and kicks off - he has had a fine example in your husband.

If you have exhausted every avenue CAMHHS has had to offer doesn't that tell you something? He is not fixable. he has buggered up your elder son's childhood, made your life a misery, and he is now poised to do that to your younger kids.

Why the bloody hell are you there? You must be so used to the misery you can't see the wood for the trees. You can't live on tenterhooks waiting for the next time your DH 'flares up'. What a miserable existince for those three kids.

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 12:50

you may find this hard to believe but dh is a great dad to younger two they are his. he takes them out etc and i do try to have some one to one time with my son but when its the five of us again something will trigger it all to kick off. dh wont take ds1 out anymore ( used to take him fishing footy etc) but my sons behaviour has always been a problem and now he has washed his hands of him. my h isnt a bad person my ds1 would try the patience of a saint i kid you not the woman at church called him a little fu**er

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GetOrfMoiLand · 22/07/2010 12:52

Well the woman at church obvously has a dearth of Christian spirit so I wouldn't use her as a benchmark.

This is your son. Teenage boys rebel against their fathers anyway, but I imagine the fallout is far worse when the kid senses he is wanted out of teh family home.

HOW can you say he is a brilliant father to the kids which are his, when he is consumed with hatred for their brother, and 'flares up' all the time.

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 12:55

my kids are only 4 and 6 and they actually cant stand their brother he has no time for them and they know how much upset he causes.

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ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 12:57

I am not going to put my child in care i will fight to the death for my kids but cant go on like this any longer shall i just leave and take ds 1 with me.

OP posts:
callalilies · 22/07/2010 12:57

Why would you not take all of your children with you if you leave?

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 13:02

dh would never let me take youngest two

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booyhoo · 22/07/2010 13:02

you are right, you cannot go on like this. your children deserve to live in a home where they know they are all welcome. leave with ALL your children.

booyhoo · 22/07/2010 13:03

your DH has no right to stop you taking them. you can share residency with him.

coppertop · 22/07/2010 13:03

Interesting that your dh is so adamant that he could never be parted from his own children, while at same time insists that you should be parted from your child.

Your dh is unable to control his own behaviour, yet thinks that a child should be able to control theirs.

Does your dh always have a 'one rule for me and one rule for everyone else' in other aspects of life too?

callalilies · 22/07/2010 13:04

Why would it be a question of 'letting' you? Just go. If you are able to leave with DS1 you can just as easily take the other two surely? How could he stop you?

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 13:05

thanks for comments evry one i will just keep trying to hold my family together i know im not the first and defo not last . i know ds comes before dh. gotta go now. thanks

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expatinscotland · 22/07/2010 13:08

You are considering washing your hands of your own child because of a man?

See, this is why I think every person with kids and if there was a relationship that ended needs to go to counselling before dating again.

Because all too often people rush right into another relationship and end up subjecting their kids to twats like this excuse of a husband.

How whacked out can you get?

You put your child in care and you've as good as lost him.

You need to get some counselling to build up your self-esteem.

booyhoo · 22/07/2010 13:08

why do i get the feeling that none of the advice has been taken on board and you will end up making your son leave?

booyhoo · 22/07/2010 13:10

imagine how your son is feeling right now knowing that his own mother (the only person on his side...supposedly) is choosing a man over him.

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 13:13

I have taken all this on board i am not going to make my son leave i am going to carry on as i have for the past few years trying to make the best of a bad situation and apologise to my kids for doing my best but it perhaps not being good enough

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5yearsto40bob · 22/07/2010 13:13

Social Services will not put him into care just becasue you ask them to.
Contact you local ss dept and ask for some support for all of you.
It sounds like you and your h could do with some parenting classes to help you cope with your son's behaviour.
Your h needs to grow up and realise that he is an adult and your son is a child who is obviously acting up due to an area in his life that he is unhappy and struggling with.
Why he is so against going to family therapy?

FiveGoMadInDorset · 22/07/2010 13:14

When your H married you he took on the responsibility of raising your son, full stop no negotiation, he can't just stop raising him becuase he now has a son of his own, that is the reason why your son is taking it out on your youngest DS IMHO, because that is what he sees, and no he is not going tbe as bad on your DD because she isn't competition, if your H (sorry can't say D in this instance is not prepared to see this or go to family counselling then you have to leave for the sake of all your children.

Fruitysunshine · 22/07/2010 13:14

itsHunkyDory I really and honestly understand your predicament because we have just gone through 4 years of sheer hell with my DS(18).

My DH has been a great stepdad to him but DS had issues related to a lack of relationship with his real father not wanting to know him. This caused anger issues, bitterness and resentment towards our other children who DH is a natural father to. Even though DH worked tirelessly and really hard with DS there were times in the deep of night when DH would ask if he was cut out for the role of a step parent. It is hard, hard work and totally thankless but DH was not sure he was doing things correctly.

We both have had many meetings at DS's secondary school about attitude and attendance but never, ever got involved with SS.

Whilst everyone says that he is your son and must stay with you it does not detract from the emotional difficulty you face in trying to mediate between everyone in your home.

However your DH needs to understand that your son clearly has some kind of underlying emotional issues which cause him to flare up at home (perhaps seeing your DH playing happy families with your other children as my DS once said) and cause problems elsewhere with authority.

As difficult as it is and if you want to keep your marriage and family intact, you have to make your DH understand that his approach is all wrong and you need to find another way, together as a family, to help DS feel happier and thereby creating a calmer space at home.

We are still going through it with my DS but I would refuse to make a choice if ever put in that position. If your DH wants to leave then let him but it would be his choice, not your choice that you were forced to make. I think your DH making that demand of you is more an indication of his frustration at the situation rather than not caring at all for your DS.

Sometimes we, as mums, have to take control of everyone in the house and manage the situation until we get it where it needs to be. If you think your marriage can survive it then you need to take control and explore other avenues. There is no reason why you should lose your DS or your marriage. Most families have these situations with teens who live with both their natural parents so it is nothing usual.

If it were us the first thing we would do would be to allocate some regular one on one time with your DS, getting to know what he likes and dislikes, who his friends are, what his aspirations are hopefully from there it will lead into a conversation of how he feels and why. When you have that information then you will be able to source the correct answer to help him feel better.

Hang in there, seriously. Marriage and children are lifelong, heavy commitments and it's only natural that you should feel the burden every so often but that does not mean it is not fixable. Firstly you have to talk to your DS and get his take on things. (Tip, do not allow him to manipulate you because some of this is about control over you by him, likewise with your DH.)

Good luck.

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 13:16

ds knows i am on his side and would love for us to leave and him have me all to himself but im asking is that fair on younger two to see thier mum walk out with older bro because dad and older bro can not stand eachother. i am not choosing a man over him i am choosing a family to stay together unhappy or not

OP posts:
callalilies · 22/07/2010 13:17

By ItsHunkyDory Thu 22-Jul-10 13:16:27

"ds knows i am on his side and would love for us to leave and him have me all to himself but im asking is that fair on younger two to see thier mum walk out with older bro"

No it isn't. So take them with you.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 22/07/2010 13:17

Your last post is so sad and makes me so angry.

Fruitysunshine · 22/07/2010 13:19

Reading Callalillies post, OP you are going to have to get stronger here I am afraid.

Your DH is kicking off because he cannot cope with your DS, your DS is kicking off because he does not want to share you and your younger children are witnessing all of this.

The common denominator here is you and you need to be the one to set boundaries everywhere for everyone. It does not have to be a dramatic event.

ItsHunkyDory · 22/07/2010 13:20

thankyou fruity sunshine that is what i want my marraige and my kids to stay together and survive this

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booyhoo · 22/07/2010 13:20

you would rather keep an unhappy family together than have 3 happy children all with their mum, 2 of them seeing their dad half the time? you really do have issues. do what you know you should for your kids and stop trying to please this man.

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