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Hi Guys
Just wanted some advice, have posted in here a few times and found it really helpful.
Situation is I have a 15 month old girl, seperated from the mum prior to the birth.
Been seeing the baby about 3-4 times a week including a full day at the weekend, pretty much all of my time however is at the mums house, as its mostly afternoons as mum wants her home for 430, therefore the majority of my time is when her mum is there, trouble is we just dont get on & its always a bad atmosphere so i've told her i'm not looking after the baby at her house anymore, suggested i have an overnight on monday & thursday which work allows me to do, she's rejected that offer and because i'm stook to my guns about not spending my time with the baby at her house the mum has now cut all of my time with the baby, i have sent several text messages pleading for at least my weekends back but she is now just ignoring all contact
I have an appointment with a mediator on friday this week but is there anything else i can do?? i've been such a constant presence in babies life since she has been born and now just nothing at all, it's now been over a week since i've seen her.
I havent been to the house as mum is a very aggressive person and it would end in confrontation?
Has anyone else had anything similar? is it illegal what she is doing? I'm on the birth certificate, there are no concerns at all when it comes to my parenting, or abuse etc that i've read could cause problems, i'm squeaky clean. I also have a 6 year old daughter who has been a big part of babies life whos also really confused as to why shes not seeing her sister.
Thanks for taking the time to read this guys, any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Hi,
Sounds like option to see baby at your ex place is gone. See how mediation goes, perhaps she will he interested in taking part.
Below the age of 2, court are unlikely to award 2 overnights or even 1 over night in a week.
I would suggest starting with unsupervised contact outside of the mums house. 2-3 hours to start with and gradually building it up to 8h over the next 2 months. Do you live within a commutable distance for your daughter to spend time at your home?
Been through something similar myself recently;
- get a MIAM booked ASAP, you cannot do anything until this has happened. I used "Mediation First"
- find a good Mckenzie Friend to advise you. DO NOT get a solicitor, save your money for a barrister if and when it comes to that
- DO NOT GO AROUND TO HER HOUSE.
Many ex's are just waiting for you to make that fatal error (drunk maniac calls, nasty texts, turning up to house uninvited) so they can immediately slap you with an NMO which will make you look like a very bad guy to the court, and will add months (or years) to the court process in you having to disprove this first. In fact they even actively try to goad ex-partners into it, using social media, etc. Do not give them the satisfaction.
It's very, very hard (believe me I know) but you need to stay super cool headed and civil right now.
That is the best, fastest (and cheapest) way of seeing your daughter regularly again.
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