Quote From: jules1965One thing I NEVER did was bad-mouth their father to them, near them or even at all! It serves NO PURPOSE except to harm your own credibility!
I always figured it this way. I laid down and made these children and obvious I didn't do that alone.
So there was some 'attraction' or something for that to happen.
Why would I EVER let what might be my own personal opinion, harm the relationship between my daughters and their father.
I raised my daughters to be SMART and to make their own decisions and have their own opinions.
I figured that sooner or later they would draw their OWN conclusions without ANY input from me.
When my ex was over 7K in child support arrears and wanted to visit.......he visited regardless of my bank account.
I took care of my children very well WITHOUT that money and those girls saw me work 3 jobs for many years to take care of them.
I wasn't going to let a few dollars stand between my daughters relationship with their father!!
Fast forward, I have 2 mid-twenty year old daughters who have formed their OWN OPINION about their father. It isn't positive but HE did that on his OWN and I did NOT have to get involved!
Thankfully me and the ex were FRIENDS first and friends third. We've always been able to talk to each other rationally.
I always thought that the MORE PEOPLE that LOVED a child the better off that child would be. Their relationship can be (and should be) a separate entity.
Thankfully I was able to do that for my daughters! They do appreciate the way they were raised as they have thanked me many times.
BTW, my ex hung himself with his behavior and now he has no contact with the kids. SAD FOR HIM!!
My son's father & I divorced when my son was 2 (my son is 18) because he would not get a job to support his family he was always the one that screw the system and got away with it -when he left he left me for another women I told him I didn't care about his personal life, he had a responsibility to our son.
When my son was 13 he wanted to live my his father I was apprehensive but my son did not know his father as I did because I protected him from that-His father and wife (the women he left me for) used my son and made mine & my boyfriend (I have since married him) life a living hell.
I fought for 2 yrs to get my son back. They (my x & his wife) had the financial means to hire a attorney, I didn't. Judges do not like it when you represent yourself. My x commited perjury and forged documents and was going to have me sent to jail. I asked the judge for a 5dy repreive so I can prove he lied. I did prove it and he was not held accountable. I finally received back custody of my son (he was 15) but he was mentally and emotional abused.
My son had a breakdown and was hopitalized twice. I later found out that while my son was living with his father the FBI raided the house because he was part of an oxycotin rings and spent some time in jail. I ask one question over and over why didn't let our son come home instead of allowing him to witness this.
My son missed so much of scholl he dropped out but receive his GED and instead of a senior in HS he is a freshman in college studying Criminal Justice he wants to be a policeman so one day he could arrest his father. I stil do not badmouth his father unfortunately he found out for himself