My husband left me for another married woman with 2 children under the age 3. We have two childen together, aged 6 and 8. It has only been 4 months and the children are still reeling from it.
He now wants them to meet his new partner. I have said no because of the situation and I think it selfish and unfair to bring our children into this horrible affair.
Even though I have told him I don't want them meeting her, he will do it behind my back.
Have I any legal rights to say that my husband can only see the children if I am present?
I am assuming from your question that the children live with you and that legal divorce proceedings have not yet been started.
As the children’s father, your husband almost certainly has Parental Responsibility for the children in legal terms. This means that he has a right to have a say about the children’s upbringing and welfare. Your husband is entitled to see the children and it is not really up to you to say how those meetings should be conducted.
By stipulating that he can only see the children while you are present, you are obviously affecting the relationship he can have with the children. If he does not agree with your demand, you cannot force him to comply. If you prevent him from having access to the children at all, he will have to go to court and apply for an order which forces you to give him access. Alternatively, you could go to court and apply for an order that sets conditions on the access your husband has to the children.
Check your legal rights as a parent on education, health and welfare decisions.
Try our Parental Rights Checker free, here on this site →To prevent your children meeting your husband’s new partner, you could apply for a Prohibited Steps Order under the Children Act 1989. You would have to convince the court that it is in your children’s best interest not to meet your husband’s new partner because she would have an adverse influence on them. Your question does not mention any specifics in this respect other than your natural unhappiness about the circumstances. Going to court is not a decision to be entered into lightly and will almost certainly add to your children’s distress.
It does seem that your husband is not being very responsible and is rushing things by wanting the children to meet a new partner so soon after the end of your relationship. How does he know that this new relationship will last? Is it fair on the children to introduce a new person into their lives while they are still trying to come to terms with the huge upheaval they have experienced?
Although I am sure that it is hard for you to talk to your husband calmly, perhaps you could encourage him to read some guidance on introducing new partners to children. If you can persuade him that you are only thinking of the children’s best interests – and not stopping them from meeting the new partner out of spite – he might be prepared to listen.
If you cannot reach an agreement with your husband, you will almost certainly have to consult a solicitor to discuss the legal options open to you.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Young mum to make sure my baby always feels happy beautiful and confident, her saying this broke my heart. The dads girlfriend and her friends are anonymously texting me abuse and the girlfriend herself doesn’t even bother to block her number.. she just sends abuse and then blocks me, whilst my daughter is in her card. It’s been 2 years of complete and utter disrespect from this over grown child woman and I’m stressed as my daughter is in her company every other week.
I need help. I need help deciding what is best for my daughter, and I need to know what the boundaries are on 1-2-1 contact as I don’t want her around my child. Do I have any jurisdiction?
She has laughed in my face, tried to intimidate one of my sons, she is now putting things on social media before my children were told by there dad he is with her. Her and my husband were all over each other outside my house with my eldest son there and my youngest son watching from his window. They both did not care what this was doing tk my children. I have a five year old daughter who I do not want to be around her, because she is young enough for my husbands girlfriend to mentally control and abuse, to also do what she done with her ex children and get on her head. My husband knows all this about her but now he is sleeping with her he doesn’t seem to care and wants her around them. I’m now under mental health, anxiety and depression and become very ill due to the calls I got from her and messages I had received from her, the being around my property so I can see her, just pure mental torture. My two eldest boys want nothing to do with her because they know what she is like and have seen and heard stuff for them selves and they also don’t want there sister around there dads girlfriend. I’ve now filed for a divorce and this is the only think I have asked for and that is for her to never have contact with my children.
If he has my children around her before we end up in court can I stop visitation untill court?
It has been my suspicion my child has been verbally, mentally and at time physically abused by this man but without Evidence it was my word against theirs. Today these suspicions have been confirmed and I want to do everything in my power to keep this man away from my child.
I need to know exactly what Route to take to make this happen legally and indefinitely, because with my son being abused I feel if I try to handle this myself I will end up in trouble. What do I do know to safeguard my son and stop this man being around him, considering the complication of my sons step-siblings and his right as their farther to be around them.
I want to stress my ex has informed me she has every intention to support me with this, and I feel I need to move fast before he gaslights her into thinking this was all her fault as he has in the past.
His ex who is now his partner is nothing but a compulsive liar, she is toxic, she is an unfit mother as I have seen situations with my own 2 eyes for example when we use to pick his son up his son was basically neglected, his nails were always thick with dirt, he has nits every single time, I’d get rid of them and the following weekend he would have them again (he wasn’t in nursery at this time). His clothes were never clean and she’d turn her phone off when it came to the day of getting him back also on one occasion his bottom was that sore it was bleeding and cut. My ex sat and told me absolutely loads of things about his ex but now that he is back with her he is saying that my daughter will have to be around her also she is saying the same thing. I don’t ever want anyone like that around my children also I don’t want strangers around them either. I will go to the end of the earth for my children. Each and every time I am trying to get somewhere with this and explain to him that she won’t be present in my children’s life he jumps the gun and threatens me. I feel like I am constantly going around in circles. It’s frustrating and draining for me.
I read your comment, never send your little one with the stranger, it is your right to know who is she, and what is she before sending your baby with her. I'm happy for you, keep up the good work, sure you will be a very good and special mother to your baby. Take care of your self and your daughter Bella.
Regards
Khadi
She is a well known alcoholic and drug addict. She's been told that one more drink will kill her. So we were hoping she'd sort herself out. But every time we see his son he's dirty, smelly and this last time he was infested with MONTHS worth of nits. Which he transferred to all of us, including our 4 month old baby! She knew full well he had nits but didn't tell us. She also knew full well that my baby was born with a thick head of hair.
She has been involved with social services for worrying behaviour reported by the school, her own father and countless anonymous reports. So I know if we wanted full custody it wouldn't be a problem. But we don't want to go down that rout unless absolutely necessary.
I wanted to know how visitation rights worked. Obviously she has no right to stop him seeing me as I pose no threat or detrement to him. But wanted to know, if we went through the court, would we have to do it each time we wanted to see him or is it a one time thing? Also, how is it upheld? Can she refuse after a court has made a decision? Its all really messy and I just want to know what our options are. Also, is it expensive?
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