@maybaby2016, completely agree.

then technically he shouldn't be entitled to visitation in my opinion...

@maybaby2016, thank you, I do appreciate that. I hope so too. he even refuses to start paying child support. he's been dragging it out in litigation fighting it for a year. he agreed he would pay 5 months ago but hasn't agreed to an amount yet. He and his lawyer keep playing games. he's never paid a dime in support

wow, I'm sorry to hear that. all that does is hurting your little boy. hopefully he'll come around and understand that he needs to change. good luck

@maybaby2016, trust me I would if I could. he legally has custody of him for those 8 days a month. I've tried to talk with him, gone through mediation 3 times, and all and he just says nope, he's perfectly fine with what I'm doing and says I'm making it all up.

your sons father needs to be on the same page with you regarding your son, his schedule and how you potty train etc. it sounds like he doesn't enforce the potty training and probably just lets your son use his diaper. The only person he is hurting here is your child. it's very important for children to have stability and structure..it's got to be hard for your little guy, clearly it's effecting him in a very negative way. his dad should see that. if he can't comply with you and the way you do things then I would have to cut ties with his dad for your son's own good, he clearly doesn't have your son's best interest in mind.

@mlgh92, that's so awful that your niece has to go through that. I'm so glad the visits are supervised!

Nobody knows your baby like you do. I know you'll figure out a way to help prevent the behavior

I find comfort in faith. I know if I raise my son to follow Jesus, he will not stray from those teachings and may even touch his fathers heart one day. its still really hard to see him regress so much...

Oh my! If he has a premeditated plan to make your son hate you, I have no clue. My SIL is dealing with her ex saying, "don't cry Mattie, me and mommy are going to get married and love each other forever and we'll all have fun as a family" last time he said that, I called him and told him NOT to ever tell her that again! She is happily married, her chidren don't need it in their heads that their stepdad is going to be removed out of the picture and they are going to get married and be happy. I am all for the dads side, I have lots of single dad's in my family but he is a meth head, the visitations are supervised, he is in and out of jail constantly. He was in jail for 2 months and got out and went straight back and then told Mattie it was because her mom didn't want her to see him.

@maybaby2016, usually 3-4 days where its really bad. then it usually takes until the next visit to get him to where he was with talking, sleeping, and potty training again. like for instance, this last time my son was completely potty trained again and we got him back and he's been constantly peeing his diaper

@maybaby2016, @mlgh92 I should add, his dad has only been in the picture less than a year. my husband is who my son knows as his father type figure so I am sure it is very confusing for him

You shouldn't have to be correcting and disciplining that much. how long after he comes back does this go on?

@mlgh92, I do stick to routine and I know for a fact that when my little man is visiting his father (one 8 day stent a month) he does not get disciplined and spends a great deal of that time away from him and at his grandparents home. I can definitely tell he's babied... it just breaks my heart because his dad will straight up tell me he will make sure my son hates me as much as he does

it definitely should be handled differently when the child is younger as opposed to being almost 12 like my case. the problem could possibly be of a more emotional circumstance because the child doesn't understand why he/she has to be separated from mommy or daddy. it's really tough on the little ones and takes complete cooperation from both parental parties to correct the situation.

I would plan fun stuff to do after he gets done at his dad's house and spend some quality time with you so he knows, I can have fun with mom and dad, not just dad

@maybaby2016, I just don't think my child should have to sit in time out all day because of the failures of another parent. the poor thing is never going to feel secure if this keeps happening. I just wish I knew how to stop it before he gets older

exactly @maybaby2016

Mattie just wants her daddy because her stepdad is harder on her about homework, acting like a lady, all the boring stuff but her daddy takes her out to chuck e cheese, plays games with her, let's her eat whatever she wants. But my husband let's her have fun and buys her stuff to be a princess so she is fine with him as well. She doesn't see it as losing her dad for the week when my husband picks her up. My husband also tells her, you have to go back with mommy and Lincoln (baby brother) so you better act right and do good in school or you know Aunt Micha will get mad and we can't have lots of fun, and she was fine! Never gave her any problems.

My husband's twin boys act like little jerks when they come home from their mother's (they are almost 12) They try to treat me and my kids like shit....I have to put them back in their place and so does my husband sometimes. it's normal for kids to behave this way, especially when the other parent never sets rules or discipline.....

@mlgh92,

that's exactly it. my son stops talking, stops going on the potty, screams constantly, and gets really violent. I try to talk with my ex about it but he says well it must be you because he's fine with me.

My sister-in-law does. it's really really bad. Last time, she asked if my husband would go and when he did our niece was fine and she didn't have any fits. But if she goes by herself to pick my niece up, it's terrible and all week she just acts bad. She doesn't do her classwork, she talks back, she becomes a whole different person.