My ex and I broke up about 3 years ago. He was never an involved parent and his time and money have always been his, even when we were together.
My 17 year old hasn’t spoken to him in over 2 years because he did some significant damage to her mental health by being an overbearing, overly dramatic narcissist.
Our 10 year old lives with me full time. He pays child support every month without fail but that’s the extent of his contributions. He rarely texts her and requests a visit perhaps once every 4 or 5 weeks. His visits are usually a Saturday pickup around noon and a Sunday drop off by one pm.
She HATES going. She says he lays in his bed and watches tv the whole time she’s there…in another room. He is snappy with her when she asks for things, and he sleeps until 11 am or noon on the Sunday every single time.
A lot of tears and anxious belly aches come around even just a text from him. She told me this morning that she wishes he would just forget about her and leave her alone because she hates him
I believe he loves her, but he doesn’t love anybody more than he loves himself. I’ve attempted to discuss this with him and he always says he will change but of course, that lasts one visit and then back to normal. She begs me not to say more because then he talks to her about it and ends up making her feel bad because his feelings are hurt that she doesn’t want to go.
I’ve tried telling her that father loves her and she needs to spend time with him, but her anxiety over this is nearly crippling her at this point and I don’t know what to do.
My 17 year old hasn’t spoken to him in over 2 years because he did some significant damage to her mental health by being an overbearing, overly dramatic narcissist.
Our 10 year old lives with me full time. He pays child support every month without fail but that’s the extent of his contributions. He rarely texts her and requests a visit perhaps once every 4 or 5 weeks. His visits are usually a Saturday pickup around noon and a Sunday drop off by one pm.
She HATES going. She says he lays in his bed and watches tv the whole time she’s there…in another room. He is snappy with her when she asks for things, and he sleeps until 11 am or noon on the Sunday every single time.
A lot of tears and anxious belly aches come around even just a text from him. She told me this morning that she wishes he would just forget about her and leave her alone because she hates him
I believe he loves her, but he doesn’t love anybody more than he loves himself. I’ve attempted to discuss this with him and he always says he will change but of course, that lasts one visit and then back to normal. She begs me not to say more because then he talks to her about it and ends up making her feel bad because his feelings are hurt that she doesn’t want to go.
I’ve tried telling her that father loves her and she needs to spend time with him, but her anxiety over this is nearly crippling her at this point and I don’t know what to do.