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Co-parenting an anxious child, with a difficult ex
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My 10yo daughter is very anxious and has always been a 'big feelings' kid. She has recently changed schools, which has been really tough, and I can imagine that a lot of things in her life feel out of her control. So she has started having huge meltdowns saying she doesn't want to go to her dad's house (who lives with a new partner and two stepchildren, and they just announced their engagement).
My ex and I both don't really know how to support her, but he is refusing to get support from a counsellor. Additionally, he is saying really nasty things to her, like 'she won't be taken on a family holiday', or 'she will never have any friends' or (get this...) 'she is not welcome in the family if this behaviour continues'. It is heartbreaking! I'm tired of defending him and picking up the pieces when she is distraught in my arms.
It does seem that she shows far more emotion at my place, and at his house (after a few unsettled days after changeover) does seem quite 'happy'. Because she is emotional at my place, he says that clearly I am the problem.
And the sad thing is that I am starting to feel very overwhelmed and reactive, and I'm starting to wonder if he is right...
Does anyone else have issues with the ex, and how do you handle when they are not cooperating, saying mean things (to the kids and to you)? I'm finding it very hard to take the high ground and really just want to yell at him. Ultimately I just want my kid to feel safe and secure at BOTH households...
Thanks in advance for your responses 🙂
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An incredibly warm welcome to you as you face feeling so deeply for your daughter.❤️
I can recall someone once saying to me something along the lines of 'A child feels the freedom to be themself in a space where they feel most comfortable, such as at home'. While this can present problems (such as with them feeling the freedom to express a rebellious nature), it can also present opportunities. It sounds like you have the opportunity to gauge how you're daughter's really feeling about a number of things.
When it comes to the sensitivity factor, myself and my 2 kids (23yo daughter and 20yo son) are like 3 sensitive peas in a pod. We all sense in similar ways. My husband/their father senses somewhat differently. He can't always feel or sense what he's saying. While that used to be triggering to varying degrees, we tend to approach this differently these days. For example, we can be sitting at the dinner table when my husband says something that leads the 3 of us to look at each other with a raised eyebrow or a knowing smile. When this happens, all 3 of us know we've sensed (in the same way) what he's said. I think that's the thing about sensitive people, they tend to share their ability or super power with each other through unspoken communication.
For a sensitive person, knowing that they've got a person or people to share their feelings with means they're not feeling alone (in more ways than one). If you're deeply feeling like your daughter, you could always say to her 'You know what...because I'm sensitive like you, I can sense some of the things you can and in some of the ways you can. Let's put it to the test. Say some things to me and I'll tell you how I feel them. Let me know if you feel them in the same way'. You could always suggest 'Dad doesn't feel or sense in the same ways we do. He doesn't always have the best approach for getting you to turn your sensitivity dial down. You and I are going to work on managing and mastering your super duper natural ability to sense or feel'. Btw, 'You're not welcome in the family if this behaviour continues' doesn't feel like a thoughtful prompt to turn the sensitivity dial down, to me it feels like a threat and a rejection. Definitely has a 'down' or depressing vibe to it, that's for sure. Not sure if he's aiming for suppression of feelings.
I'm wondering if your daughter would feel a little more confident if you led her to consider 'Try getting a feel for whether Dad needs to be more thoughtful with his words sometimes or whether he's leading you to feel joyful, happy or peaceful. There are lots of feelings for us to be getting a sense of'.
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