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My future hubby lets his daughter manipulate him

SarahFirstandLast's picture

My ex (he was my first husband) and I are planning to get married. However, I’m not so sure anymore. We never had kids, and after divorce, we were away many years. In the interim, he married and had a daughter, who is now 14. He divorced his wife after 5 years, and since then he went back to her once and ended up divorced again within 6 months. During all those years, he paid a pretty penny above and beyond what he was assigned by the court, hoping his daughter would care for him.

When he called me 6 months ago, he had no relationship with his daughter and couldn’t get alone with his ex. He’s never had a relationship with his daughter, and his daughter pretty much shared her mom’s views. In fact, their divorce was hostile. The few times his daughter visited him, all ended up hostile. He was miserable when he called me. As our relationship progressed (he visits me every month), he began to feel better and became quite happy. I asked him not to tell his ex and daughter about me until we had solidified our plans (we live on different coasts). Unfortunately, because he was suddenly so happy and going out of town so often, his daughter began to wonder, and he told her that he was seeing me and that we were serious.

Well, now, suddenly, his daughter is treating him "wonderfully," she asks him to the house, he’s eating at her mother's house, his ex-wife for the first time in over 9 years is treating him "with respect." I don't know why, but I had a feeling this would happen. The daughter will call him to go over, he jumps, drops everything, and flies over there, and the ex calls his cell along the way to pick up things for her at the supermarket. Anyway, tomorrow he’s traveling to another state to see a camp that his daughter said she wants to go to this summer (which is outrageously expensive), so they’re going with him. I’m jealous. I’m worried. I told him. He got angry. He said he has to keep up this relationship with his ex and daughter, since it’s the first time he’s had a relationship with his daughter. I can't emphasize enough that he had zero relationship with his daughter prior to his mentioning me to them. I asked him if this will continue once we’re together, and he said, “Well, when you’re up here, you can come with us!”

I don’t know what to do or think. I have a feeling that if I ended it with him, the relationship with his ex and daughter would turn sour again, and I told him that the relationship with me is the only reason his ex and daughter are treating him nicely. He got very angry. I get the feeling that his daughter (who previously called him ugly names and refused to see him), is manipulating him and will make our marriage a living nightmare.

Am I being unreasonable? I'm scared to death!

RedWingsFan's picture

My ex (he was my first husband) and I are planning to get married
____________________________________________________________________________________-

^^^THIS says it all. You've been there and done that already - don't look back! Always look ahead. For whatever reason, your marriage didn't work out before and now you have another woman and kid involved and HE is still running to their side?

RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY - PLEASE! FAR FAR FAR AWAY!

There are so many other men in the world, why on earth would you choose this mess of one? AGAIN?

Aeron's picture

^^This^^

Totally, utterly this.

He's in a relationship with you but he's still playing family with them? Going over for dinner, going grocery shopping for them, taking a family trip to camp? And you should just join in?

This man is on some Really good drugs IMO. You should be scared. He is delusional and he will totally take it out on you if his daughter doesn't want to see him after a wedding. It will be all your fault if she becomes nasty to either him or you. You will constantly be told how you should be the bigger person when she is disrespectful, greedy, etc etc.

This is a disaster that is giving you text alerts, emails and frigging air raid sirens. Run Away from these wackos.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

That's what I think. That this has turned disastrous. It was more than wonderful until he told them, and then BAM! It all went to hell.

I think he knows he's being irrational, but is enjoying the fake attention he's getting from his daughter, as she's sucking up (financially) everything she can. Meanwhile, the ex has just come up with some "mysterious" therapy for her daughter that she needs money from him for. She told him she can't give him the name of the therapist, but that it's exactly what his daughter needs to "get well" from the fact that he left the marriage. I think she's just upping her child support/alimony or something. He's giving her the money because he's afraid of wrath from his daughter.

I don't want to live like this, really, but he gets angry when we discuss it.

RedWingsFan's picture

Sarah - you need to get out of this relationship and fast. This is NOT healthy nor will you get any type of benefit from it.

I know it is hard, but you divorced him once before. Just leave and find yourself someone NEW, without all the baggage!

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I think I've known this (that this is headed to a crash landing) from the moment he told them about me and instantly (like magic) his non-existent relationship with his daughter turned into an every day communication and seeing one another.

I guess it shocked me so much to have all this happen, that I've been trying to make some sense of it and figure out why he's willing to be so completely used and to have me feeling so bad.

Aeron's picture

Honestly, be thankful that he told them and this all happened before you married or moved or did something else expensive and difficult to reverse.

Many divorced men with children seem to have this ... irrational need to have whatever little or fake or even negative attention they can get from their children. Particularly if the kid has displayed previously that dad is not really necessary to life. I think it's partly ego and partly guilt. But don't expect it to change. This girl could be 45 and he will still drop everything to cater to her. He's a jerk. Find someone new.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I didn't know that (about divorced men having an irrational need to have even fake or negative attention from their kids). I wonder if anyone knows of any articles out there that are good to read about this. The last thing I want is to run into this sort of garbage again, and waste months of my life on something like this.

I wonder if this happens often, that when there's a new woman in the man's life, the bio children suddenly begin getting friendly and affectionate with the father, where they were behaving like total jerks before?

TASHA1983's picture

THAT is what you will be in for for a VERY long time if you decide to marry this man. He will ALLOW skid & bm to run and dictate his life and essentially your marriage. Food for thought. Smile

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I know. I don't plan to have some spoiled rotten kid run my life.

I like your quote - "Your kid makes me want to overdose on birth control!!!"

I feel that way!!!

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I'm going to gather all my strength, gather all my facts, then get out of it. I'm sure after I'm gone his relationship with his BD and ex will resume its level and turn to crap again.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I love this forum and have been reading through some of the posts, and there's something I just don't get. Why do men have trouble admitting that their kids are manipulating them? He cannot believe that the reason his kid and his ex are treating him so nicely is because he told them about me. This woman is now sucking so much money from him it's not even funny.

Or maybe he can and is lying to me about it, and he does realize that he's being manipulated but doesn't care that he is. I have no idea. In any case, I'm so distraught. For a few months things were going well and I was taking it easy with this, but he had to tell them. He just couldn't hold off.

Thank you for your comments. I've been sitting here literally shaking out of fear. I am quite in need of a pat in the back or to be shaken awake about all this.

Kilgore SMom's picture

The writing is on the wall I see it clear as day. BM and SD are worried that the funds are fixing to go bye, bye! That the new wife and the possiblity of other children will lesson what they are getting now. Theres 2 ways to see if this is true. One way is for SO (EX) to tell them ya'll have broken up and see how he gets treated. Or SO (EX) could start paying just what is co. If you try #1 chance are the BM may make a move. If you try #2 then SO (EX) will find out that hes only around for the money. Either way you go SO(EX) will not won't to try because he will have to face that they are using him.
I think your making a mistake in trying to be with him. It is very hard to be a step parent. Its even hard if the SD has been raise as a spoiled money seeking brat. It would be endless fights and power sruggles. That very few step parents win.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

Good point. Believe it or not, I actually told him that - I asked him to tell them that we broke up, then wait to see if they start treating him as they did before, and guess what he said? He said that even IF his daughter is just being nice to him because she and the mother are afraid of losing out on the gravy train, that at least this gives him some kind of relationship with his daughter, where he had none before, and that he has to go with it, because he was in such pain having no relationship with her at all.

RedWingsFan's picture

Well you have your answer right there then - he'd rather give in to his ex and his kid than have a good relationship with you. That won't ever change.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I hate asking this question because I know it sounds incredibly dumb, but is that (that he'd rather give in to his ex and kid) because he doesn't really care at all about me, or because he's just amazingly stupid, or because his ex is brilliant at manipulation, or even because he wants it all and is trying to have it all? I've dated other guys with exes and kids, guys who have decent relationships with their kids (and it didn't work out because I didn't feel that certain attraction), but I never encountered this sort of insane situation before.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

The way I'm feeling about it right now - he's a pretty pathetic individual. Right now I can't stand even looking at his pic.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

Echo and NoDoormat - Thank you!!! I think that's why I need to know the reasons, so that I can get good and angry and end this the way it's supposed to be ended - terminally. That's exactly what I was looking for - reasons why he's doing this. Why is it that when one is in a relationship, it's almost impossible to figure out?

Anyhow, yes and yes and yes again - he's the manipulator, and he has a habit of going back to exes.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I agree. I absolutely need someone better than him. I've been feeling kicked to the curb since this began happening, when he told them about us. I came really close to ending it the day I said, "I'm so delighted I was able to fix your marriage and fatherhood for you. Now that I've helped you, let's just end this now." He talked me out of that with a bunch of psych bs, because, oh something important to say, he's in the mental health field :jawdrop: so he gives me a lot of this "children need to see that their parents are getting along in order to grow up with self esteem" bs all the time. He tells me that he loves me like he's never loved another, that he hates his ex, that he loves only 2 women - his daughter and me, etc. etc.

And from what I've heard from him (before he told them about me), his daughter is like the girl in The Exorcist.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

I'm leaving work, but I just had to say one thing. One day I asked him if he felt sorry for his ex (the woman who put him through 3 years of litigation), and he said he did. I just remembered that. Stupid me, I'd forgotten it. I guess that's the last nail in the coffin of this relationship.

SarahFirstandLast's picture

Thanks, RedWingsFan! Somehow I feel stronger. I hadn't spoken to anyone about this. It's hard keeping something this bad secret, and not being able to share it.

RedWingsFan's picture

I hear ya Sarah but that's what we're here for. Trust me on this, you always want to look forward, never back. Your past is your past for a reason and if you don't learn from it, you're doomed to repeat it!

furkidsforme's picture

OK Sarah, you have me tortured with curiosity. Why did you divorce to begin with the first time, and why would you consider re-marrying a guy who you disliked/fell out of love with/gave up on/hated enough to divorce?

Long ago you decided you deserved better than him, so why are you going back for more?

SarahFirstandLast's picture

Well, we are QUITE physically and intellectually attracted to one another, we love to talk, we love to be together, we enjoy the same activities, we like one another's families, we are laid back about a bunch of things.

Problem is, we get too emotionally involved. Lots of stuff happened. Lots of it incredibly immature. Some things that caused our marriage to end up in the dumpster: he was jealous of me talking to my family so often (my entire family is super close), I was jealous of him talking to women in general, his mother regularly tortured him telling him he was a good for nothing for not making a 7-figure salary (and we visited her every week), that caused him to be depressed, I got depressed from his depression, we fought, I gained weight from the arguments, he tried to get me to lose weight, I took that personally and didn't want to be intimate with him, he got frustrated, etc etc etc and so we both agreed it was going south, and ended it. Get the picture? We needed a live-in psychologist.