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Bitter Ex - Wife Brainwashing Kids

someday stepmom's picture

First off, please don't judge and throw hateful words at me in regards to the following. I've been with my bf for 2 years. We had an emotional affair when he was married. He has 3 kids from his now exwife. The 2 years we have been together is since he left his wife. The divorce was 1.5 years long and bitter and ugly.

The ex has had a new bf this entire time (my co-worker and my ex bf....MESSED UP!) But still has the need to be bitter and use the kids as pawns. Besides using the kids against their daddy her and her mother have constantly and consistently preached to the kids "daddy left us. Daddy doesn't love you. You don't have to listen to her. She is bad. Mommy doesn't like her" We know this for a fact as the kids repeat it. The kids are 7, 4, 3 so they blab.

We have NEVER talked bad about their mom or anyone to the kids like she has done to us. For the record he did not leave his kids he left his wife! Does it affect the kids absolutely, but they know daddy loves them and they see daddy every week. She has them 6 days we have them 4 days currently just because we work third shift. He is an amazing daddy too. He braids their hair, holds them, kisses them, disciplines, even let's them dress him up in their dresses. The days he doesnt have them but they have activites he goes just to see them.

Ex is doing anything in her power to get these kids to hate daddy and me. Lately the kids have been telling me that "you can't marry daddy because mommy said so. I don't care if you do but mommy says no." When I discipline them (which discipline is no don't do that. I've never sent them to their room or anything like that) they say "no. Mommy says we don't have to listen to you."

How am I suppose to handle this? What do I say and do when they say that? Their daddy doesn't approach it because they never say it when he is around. He also knows they are being preached by their mom.

The kids don't live in my house yet, but my bf wants to move them in January 2016 with us. (He has an apt that he lives at when he has them otherwise we live together at my house). It makes me uncomfortable knowing these kids will be living in my house but refuse to listen to me. How do I handle this appropriately with the kids as well as my bf?

Thank you in advance.

Monchichi's picture

Unfortunately you will take quite a bit of flack for the affair while your now partner was married. The BM will ensure you pay a high price. That is his children or you.

http://www.steptogether.org/disengaging.shtml

It's all the advice I have for you along with leave married men alone honey.

Informative reading to understand what is happening:

http://www.parentalalienation.org/articles/symptoms-parental-alienation....
http://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Poison-New-Updated-Edition/dp/0061863262 <--- Some find this helpful.

someday stepmom's picture

She has been dating since the day her husband moved out. She and even her family admits that the marriage was over long before but she wasn't going to file. She has cheated on him in the past and he took her back. Two wrongs don't make a right. Ours was an emotional affair and nothing more. Still doesn't make it right...I know that. But if she has been with another guy for 2 years as well its time to get over it and move on. Stop dragging the kids through more. Let them be kids. Making them hate their daddy and me is not healthy.

The kids will know the truth some dat when they are old enough to understand. They will also know that mommy talked bad about their daddy when he never did the same. They will then resent her. The oldest already is acting out towards her kicking and screaming at her. We don't have that problem. The mom just started her in counseling because of it. Like I said we don't have that issue because we make our house a positive house with no negative talking about others.

Disneyfan's picture

You don't get to decide when someone gets over this. You helped break up their marriage. Yeah, she cheated, but they were able to work things out. UNTIL you stepped into their marriage.

If you think those kids are going to resent their mom for talking bad about dad, you're nuts. They will believe she was/is justified because you and dad broke up their family.

You don't get to help destroy a family, then ride off into the sun set and live happily ever after. What you get a huge karma bus parked in front of your home. That karma may come in the form of a cheating husband, pain in the ass SKs abd BM.....

Disneyfan's picture

She knew he was weak before this.

He stayed with a woman who kept cheating on him. WEAK
Instead of ending his marriage, he cheated.WEAK
Allowing the OP to be blamed for their actions,WEAK

He's a wuss. He isn't going to suddenly sprout a spine.

Snowflake's picture

Yeah, I have to agree with you Sally, It is the dad who showed the most lack of character. He decided to carry on with someone else instead of working on his marriage. He alone decided that he didn't give a crap that his kids will look at him like he is a douche who only cares about himself and didn't care about really hurting their mother. He alone needs to accept it and move on.

OP- If you stay with him, then you need to realize that this is not going to be an easy ride, and that eventually the bm will move on, but the kids will be the ones to end up with no respect for their father, and by proxy you.

If you are with the man you love, then why do you care who the BM is with. If your ex is childless, then that is a real plus for BM. IF the BM that I have had to deal with had ever dated my ex (would never have happened), I would have laughed. They would have SOOO deserved each other. In that case I would have felt sorry for her.

Don't worry about who or what she is doing, that is not your concern. Who cares. As I said, your biggest issue is going to be the skids. You are going to have to relize that even without BMs badmouthing you,they are going to be angry at dad, and you unfortunately.

My father had an affair on my mother. My mom would bad mouth my ex- stepmother really badly. I actually really liked my step mother, she was great. I have had no respect for my father though. Although I can understand now why he left my mom, they were complete opposites. When my father did the same thing to my ex- stepmother, which he did when things with her got real with all the blended family issues, my mom was so happy. I was fairly sad, because they had kids who now had to deal with hostile parents. Ironically my exstepmother tried to make life hell for new young stepmother. New stepmom shut that down real quick and told my dad to deal her with it or gtfo. New stepmom and dad have been married for 20 years now.

Disneyfan's picture

A mwn can't have an affair by himself. If you knowingly get involved with a married man, then yes you are a homewrecker.BUT the blame should not be placed totally on the woman.

Expecting people to treat you with respect when you made the choice not to conduct yourself in a respectful manner(messing with a married man isn't respectful) is nuts.

Andie91801's picture

My solution is dump the guy and start over. Nothing worth all the headache and heartache those crazy brats and bm will bring when those kids move in with you. Why not now? Save time and start over with someone who doesn't have any baggage. You found this site and at least realize how much headache and heartache stepmom has to deal with. I lost count how many times I hid in the bathroom crying out of frustration or the thought of walk out of my marriage has crossed my mind. Run Forrest! Run!!!

Best of luck.

A.

Disneyfan's picture

I agree with Andie. You are in for one hell of a ride if you stay with this man. Pretty much every one here is dealing with a crazy BM who hates SM because she had this nasty habit of breathing. This BM has a very valid reason to hate the OP. She will make her life hell. No man is worth that.

Snowflake's picture

Yeah, I used to hate when I first got on here and all people would do was tell me to run, run far far away. Run far away from the drama and toxic ex. I thought very naively that I wasn't conveying enough how much I luuuuuved my dh.

Yeah, I look back now and realize that my dh while I do love him, but see that really was good advice.

zerostepdrama's picture

Karma is kicking your ass... You can't change the way BM feels about you or what she is going to say to her kids about you. Yes what she is doing is wrong. But she's probably still pissed that you interfered in her marriage. If the drama is worth it, then stay with him and hopefully in time things will calm down or turn around and hopefully too much damage with the kids hasn't been done. And if you don't think you can deal with it, then you should leave him.

AVR1962's picture

You are in a rather complex situation and this is going to take a very long time for everyone to work thru, if ever. You said your BF does not hear what his kids say, this is stuff they tell you. Is there anyway your BF and his ex can still and talk about hat is good for the kids and for your husband to ask her to be careful with what she says to the kids. Maybe he needs to apologize for hurting her, as that I am sure is part of her revenge. You said you started dating after the divorce but this was an affair?? I am a little confused. Either the marriage was over or it was not and it does not become legal til all the paperwork is finalized. My ex had an affair and one of the things he told his lover was that our marriage was over. I wish I would have known that.

I dealt with the very same actions from my steps and their bio mom. I entered the picture 3 years after the divorce so this could be that she is pset her husband had an affair or it could be that she has no intentions for you to be part of her children's life and he affair is only contributing to her hard feelings. Have you spoke to her??

I will warn you, parents who do this to their children are very selfish but they are also very good about getting what they want. They will not blink twice to stomp on you, they have no compassion for you. They are out for revenge and you are the target.

My husband would not speak to his ex, would not have anything to do with her and repeatedly we heard all these things bio mom was saying to the boys and we were always telling them, "You do have to obey the rules in our home." One time I saw the oldest SS get off the phone from his mom and he was crying, he must have been 10 at the time. I told husband and I told him next time she called I was going to listen in on the conversation and I did. She was trying to convince her son to tel his dd that he wanted to live with her. This thought was no coming from him, it was coming from hr. I listened to the entire conversation. My husband did nothing. SS was obviously hurting and feeling very torn by bio mom's desires. I contacted her, I let her know I heard the conversation and I let her know this was hurting her children. I told her that I would like us to work towards what is best fro the boys. I told her that we told the kids they have 2 moms and 2 dads and that with my ex's new wife I gave her permission to discipline my children and permission to my children to love their new SM. She was having NONE of that! Almost yelling she let me know in no uncertain terms that I was not the boys' momma, her words. There was one act after the other, it did not stop. She made threats. She told lies. When the boys would go to her with something about me she would get upset and call my husband. She told husband that I hated the boys, that's why I did this or that, and I ave no doubt she told the boys the same. As you can imagine I dealt with a great deal of resistance from the boys that was only supported by BM, bio mom and I could not have a relationship, she made sure of that.

Once the boys became adults they did not feel they had to listen to me at all and tried walking all over me, bio mom told me tat they boys hated me and my daughters. Yes, she was that bold. When the one boy go married neither husband and I were invited to the wedding, SS said his bio mom would not allow us in her house. I tried to build a relationship with his new wife via internet but that all came to a screeching halt too when I told her that it would not be good for BM and I to be in the same room to celebrate grand daughter's birthday which she had asked my help with. I told her we'd be happy to come another day and the fur started flying. SS popped off with several emails to me and to him telling us what awful parents we are, told us we would never know his daughter as our grand child. I have had no contact with him since. The little girl must be 5 or 6 now.

Oldest SS just recently got married and he did invite his dad and our only daughter together and purposely excluded me and then emailed his dad and asked that I not attend. I had no intentions of attending, he made it clear to me 10 years ago that he wanted no relationship with me after I found out that he had done something that I found extremely hurtful. He could not face his own actions so he chose to run and chose to point blame, basically I was hi scapegoat. Our only bio together loves both husband and I and did not like her half brother's actions, neither did husband. Daughter contacted bride to be about the incident in which SS was involved in that ended our relationship. Realize I have not met this person and she comes back at my daughter and literally tears me from one end to the next, calling me a narcissists, saying I am mentally unstable, I am a psychopath. Really? This is insane! SS ran to he would not face is actions, lied to everyone just like his mother did to the boys and I am the one being blamed for their actions and being called a narcissist?? Somebody needs to take a good hard look in the mirror!

On the flip side, my ex's second wife ended up divorcing him. He cheated on her too, repeatedly. I am still friends with her, my daughters are still friends with her and my grand kids see her as Gma as well. I would send her nice things on Mother's day to thank her for being a mother to my children as well. You see the difference there. It really starts with the relationship between the bio parents and working together for what is best for the children. My ex had an affair and it was very hard for me to deal with but a mom who loves her children has to realize that he children are entitled to their their father.

ldvilen's picture

Thank you for these wonderful comments that bear repeating: "Either the marriage was over or it was not and it does not become legal [or is not over] til all the paperwork is finalized." "I will warn you, parents who do this to their children are very selfish but they are also very good about getting what they want." AND, especially thank you for that last paragraph, where it proves once again that if you have a bio-mom who is non-possessive and okay with or gives permission for the step-kid to be okay with step-mom, THAT is what makes the world of difference. Yes, there are some nasty SMs out there, but at least 9 times out of 10, it comes down to the bios. If BM is non-possessive and is okay with someone else loving her kids and IF dad acts like a dad and a DH rather than a wimp = SM has good relationship with SKs. IF BM is controlling and possessive and dad is weak = SM does not have a good relationship with SKs. It is that simple, yet complicated. If you have a wimp husband, you might be able to do something about that; hard, but possible--there are some examples on these pages--usually invoves either threatening to leave or going to counseling. But, if you have a possessive BM, there is absolutely nothing you can do about that.

Glassslipper's picture

Emotional affair or not, your BM was probably gonna treat the new GF/SM like crap no matter what anyhow.
My BM trashed me and DH to the kids non-stop! She opening admits it and does it right in front of us. We have gotten texts that say "I told the kids yoy wouldn't support me on this" (when she was trying to treat SD medical condition with vitamins and herbs rather than medical attention) and stood in my driveway calling me names and throwing things at me and DH right in front of her kids. She has told her kids to lie to me and sneak out of the house.
There is nothing yoy can do about it EXCEPT see it for the jealousy it is, and provide a secure loving home for them with DH and ignore her words.
In the end, as a COD I KNOW, they will appreciate the kind loving parent that doesn't speak ill of the parents they love. So keep saying only nice things or nothing at all.

lintini's picture

You just set yourself up for a lifetime of hell. Get out now while you still can and find a guy to date that isn't married.

Maxwell09's picture

Its time for you to eat crow and get out of that mess fast. He's not worth it. He will be just as weak with you as he was with BM. You will never come first to him if he can't even stick up for you now in the very "beginning" of the relationship. I think you staying in the relationship is a disaster. She will make your life miserable as other poster have said she would have treated you like crap whether you came into her marriage or not. Just leave.

notsurehowtodeal's picture

Do not let him move in with you. He should keep his apartment and have the kids there. You can do things when them when he is around - but there should be no reason for you to be with them alone. If it is this bad now think about how it will be when you are all living together.

Stay separate until things work out - if they do. First step is for BF to believe you when you tell him what the kids say and do. He should then take some corrective action.