Seeking Advice - Glen Burnie,MD

Updated on June 12, 2008
A.D. asks from Glen Burnie, MD
4 answers

I will try to make a long story short. My 23 year old son has a baby with his EX-girlfriend. They broke up in mid October 2006. He told me and his dad that they broke up because she drank too much, she smoked and she flirted with other guys when he was with her. About a week after they broke up - the girlfriend came to our house to see my son and he ended up going home with her. I thought they were getting back together but they didn't. In mid November - the EX called my son and told him that she was pregnant. He did not respond nicely and he did not tell anyone. In August of 2007, I got a phone call from the EX who said she needed some of my son's medical info for "the baby." I was SHOCKED!!!!!! I called my son who then called the girl. He called me back and said she did have a baby, it was a girl and was 6 weeks old. I called the girl back and asked if we could see the baby - we visited that night and the next day. Our son went with us. We later asked our son - why he had not told us. He said that he thought the girl was lieing when she said she was pregnant because she had told him that she could not get pregnant. So...to try to skip many details.... things did not continue to go well with us or our son visiting the baby. We tried to reach out to the mother and offer any and all support she needed or wanted. She stopped us from seeing the baby and calling her. She did not list any father on the birth certificate. My son wanted to establish himself as the father and could only do this through a paternity test. He offered to pay all the costs but the mother refused to have the test done. So, our son had to resort to the legal system. A court ordered paternity test was done and our son is the father. After this - the mom turned her home phone off and would not answer her cell when our son called. Since then, they have been through mediation and a couple court hearings. Child support has been set up and is being paid. Our son has limited visitation with his child. We have continued to offer the mother any help she needed. She smiles in our face but ..............it is a different story later. She has lied to the mediator and a judge and been caught in the lies. She has not given the court all the paperwork they have requested. Our son and this girl have no future together other than the parenting of the child. We have tried other ways to be kind to her - gifts at Christmas and her birhday, flowers on Mother's Day. I know that she was hurt by the way that our son handled it when she told him she was pregnant. I feel bad for her for that. I wish we had known but no one told us. We can not change the past. We want the mother to know (and have told her) that no matter what the circumstances between her and our son - she is still part of our family now, that she is always welcome in our house, that she can always call on us anytime for anything. There seems to be no way to reach this girl. We have talked with the girl's mom (baby's grandmother) and we feel that grandmaw somewhat plays "both sides of the fence." She will be so nice to us and say things to us that maybe she should not say about her daughter but then in the next instance she is taking up for her daughter. Grandmaw says that she likes our son, that she liked him from the first time she meet him and that she did not like the boyfriend before our son or the boyfriend that her daughter has now. So, it is little use to try to talk to the grandmother about how we can reach the mother's heart. There are more court dates in the future because this girl wants our son to have as little time as possible with his daughter and there are other related issues that the two of them and their lawyers can not reach an agreement on. I know this is costing this girl because our son has already spent over $5000 in legal fees and things are still not fully settled.(They both have signed paperwork agreeing to pay thier own legal fees.) I do not know why she continues to act this way other than "getting back". Any suggestions.... PLEASE????

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M.W.

answers from Washington DC on

A., my heart goes out to you, but really there is nothing you can do to make the mother open up to you. That's her stuff, and you can't change it. You can support your son in his battle to gain the visitation that is his by right.

My suggestion is to ask your son's attorney what contact is permissible for you and what is not, because you do not want to insert the issue of harrasment of the mother into your son's court battle. Be patient, but remember that in MD, at least as I understand it, grandparents only have the right to request visitation, not the right to visitation. Let your son fight for his rights, he is on stronger ground there.

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J.K.

answers from Washington DC on

A.,
If you are a praying woman, I would say do that continually. Then i would say give it time, knowing that I as write that that it is really really hard. Be especially proud of your son for wanting to be in his daughter's life; for fighting for her. Kudos to you and your husband for being his strength and support. It is clear that the mom is hurt, angry, and more than a little confused right now about what she wants or what is best. hard as it is you may need to give her space to come to that place. Remember, having a baby has changed her life, too. My guess is she didn't expect to be dealing with "real live" consequences. Because your son seems rational about it, you expect that from her as well. However, you need to take into account the kind of person she has been up to the point of becoming a mother; view her and her behaviors in that context, not from your own context or your son's. It may not excuse her behavior, but it might help to explain where her head's at right now. Her solution is, see someone else, blot out your son because of hurt or maybe punish him a little. Maybe imature thinking, but it still may be "her" thinking. The other real point is, your son clearly wants a relationship with his daughter, but is not clearly committed to her. Understand, I think he's right in his feelings, but from her side, that wouldn't be a happy feeling...You want the baby, but not me...in other words. She is not trying to hear that. It's hard to watch this happening, hard not to be involved as parents, but I will say as a counselor, let them work it out; lend indirect support as you are led to in your heart. Think you have done that, it sounds so far. Keep it up. Don't miss that you have already spoken love, help and wisdom into your grandaugther's life and that is pure gold.
J.

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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Sounds like you are doing everything possible, my heart goes out to you too. Maybe you have already done this, but a long, heartfelt letter saying the warm, loving things you have written here about how you want to help her, etc. may give the mom the chance to read and reflect on things on her time. She may or may not. Sounds like too she has her own issues, unrelated to you or your son if she had not such great boyfriends - other than your son - and is already onto another boyfriend. The children will be happy your son and you have fought so hard to have visitation and overtime as they get older and can express their feelings, they will. Give them gifts they will treasure and memories on the visitation times you get and they will remember with joy those times.

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S.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Dear A.,

I'm guessing there were not a lot of responses because not all of us have the kind of professional experience to really help you. I'm also guessing that the ones who did respond are not the only ones who feel for your situation.

The only advice I can give you, as the grandmother with virtually no "rights", is continued patience. Don't give up, unless it starts to take a toll on your health. Maybe she'll come around, maybe she won't, but if she does, you'll want to be there for your son and granddaughter. And maybe even for her. She obviously has issues other than your son being less than kind to her - although I don't blame him for not believing her.

Wishing you the best,
S. K

1 mom found this helpful
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