I'm raising this because I was forced to make a choice as a child which has haunted me ever since. I stayed with my dad which left me feeling guilty about abandoning my mum.
Only now am I realising the fear of commitment it has given me. The more I think about this, the more I feel my parents were not thinking of the long term or my best interests.
Many of you on here I know have experienced this from the parent's side so I would love to hear peoples thoughts. Thanks
Hey GG...Sadly this is choice that far too many children are faced with these days. For a child to have to choose between parents breaks their wee hearts in 1/2 and as you stated has life-time repercussions.
venusenvy: Hey GG...Sadly this is choice that far too many children are faced with these days. For a child to have to choose between parents breaks their wee hearts in 1/2 and as you stated has life-time repercussions.
Thanks for the reply. It's taken 40 years for me to realise this.I don't think it is an empowering decision for a child.
I stated yes ... with that said my children were also older than most (mid teens)..At the same time they had complete contact with their mom..It was the best decision ever as they knew both parents loved them.
UrbuddyYellow Brick Rd , Larganville, Mayo Ireland2,441 posts
Godsgift: I'm raising this because I was forced to make a choice as a child which has haunted me ever since. I stayed with my dad which left me feeling guilty about abandoning my mum.
Only now am I realising the fear of commitment it has given me. The more I think about this, the more I feel my parents were not thinking of the long term or my best interests.
Many of you on here I know have experienced this from the parent's side so I would love to hear peoples thoughts. Thanks
GG
From my own interpretation of right and wrong I'd say No it's not right or fair on any child to expect them to choose or be mature enough to understand that it will have far reaching consequences for him/her in later life . Sorry to hear that it has also happened to you K
bestbeforesomewhere, Dorset, England UK4,701 posts
Godsgift: I'm raising this because I was forced to make a choice as a child which has haunted me ever since. I stayed with my dad which left me feeling guilty about abandoning my mum.
Only now am I realising the fear of commitment it has given me. The more I think about this, the more I feel my parents were not thinking of the long term or my best interests.
Many of you on here I know have experienced this from the parent's side so I would love to hear peoples thoughts. Thanks
GG
I know the feeling only too well.Rejected by my Mother at 6 years old,sent to live with aunt and uncle.Finally went to my Father who had remarried. When I asked for my Mum and cried I was marched to the nearest Police Station,just to frighten me I think
At 11 years old I went in front of a High Court Judge and asked who I wanted to live with.I was terrified,chose my Mother. Big mistake as she really didn't want me ,just wanted to upset her ex.
Left home at 16 ,looked for love in all the wrong places ,but finally turned my life around and became a responsible adult.
Asking children to choose is a terrible responsibility, and they should never have to make this choice.j.m.o.
No, I think it's very unfair and too much of a burden on a child to have to choose. Ideally the parents should be able to come to some arrangement where the child has access to both parents and can contact both easily whenever they want to. Obviously , because of school and work arrangements, it will be probably be more logical for the child to live with one more so than the other. It's difficult but if the parents put their own personal resentments towards each other to one side and look at it logically so they do what's best for the child. My daughter lives with me full time, and sees her Dad every second weekend. This suits everyone fine, and she is free to contact him whenever she wants. It was never an option to give her a choice about who to live with. The decision was made without her imput, she was far too young at the time to be consulted about it. Now she is a teenager, she makes her own mind up about things.
Went through this 4 yrs ago. Although I never forced my daughters to make their decision, my ex did, and they stayed with me. You are right, many times one or both parents do not take the children's best interests in consideration and it does have lingering effects on them later in life.
I was a single parent myself and I would never have asked her to choose. It would be too much pressure, stress and guilt on the child. It should be the parents/adults responsibility to work out a fair and hopefully equal parenting plan.
trisher69: I was a single parent myself and I would never have asked her to choose. It would be too much pressure, stress and guilt on the child. It should be the parents/adults responsibility to work out a fair and hopefully equal parenting plan.
Godsgift: I'm raising this because I was forced to make a choice as a child which has haunted me ever since. I stayed with my dad which left me feeling guilty about abandoning my mum.
Only now am I realising the fear of commitment it has given me. The more I think about this, the more I feel my parents were not thinking of the long term or my best interests.
Many of you on here I know have experienced this from the parent's side so I would love to hear peoples thoughts. Thanks
GG
My children stayed with me and saw their dad Wed eve for dinner and Friday early eve he´´d pick them up to stay with him till sat eve.
All was well till my daughter moved out and then their dad (behind my back) asked my son to go live with him. The result was my son in tears saying how unfair it was for dad to put him on the spot like that (and without me knowing anything about it) and asking him to choose. I comforted him and suggested the "no action" approach since that didn´t mean "choosing" it meant not making changes. The other result was my daughter feeling rejected by her dad because he´d never suggested both of them going to live with him when she was still living at home.
A couple of years later, my son came home from visiting his dad saying he´d mentioned again about moving in with him. This time he said he felt ready to make a decision and after chatting with me about it decided to do it. The roles were then reversed and he´d come to me for dinner on Wed and stay with me Frid pm till Sat eve. I felt if my son was gonna live with his dad it was probably a good time as they had similar hobbies and could spend more time together sharing them.
His dad and me only lived about 20 min drive away from one another.
26wheeler: Kids do have say in this world its not just about us
It's not about having a say. It's about asking them to make uninformed decisions they are not in a position to make i.m.h.o! I believe it is a parent's job to act in the best interests of the children and not avoid the responsibility of hard and unpleasant decisions.
The ideal thing is!!!!The parents must agree telling the child,if the child is of certain age and be capable to think for its self,that can choose to live with one parent,and when the time comes and change its mind,can move in and stay with the other.-My child barely 2,5 years old when the divorce came,so lived with his mother,but on his weekly visits,always reminded it,if and when,so wished,for various reason ever decided to live with me,my door will be always open.So decided to live with his father when was 13 years old,as his step father,used to mistreat him.
Godsgift: It's not about having a say. It's about asking them to make uninformed decisions they are not in a position to make i.m.h.o! I believe it is a parent's job to act in the best interests of the children and not avoid the responsibility of hard and unpleasant decisions.
Well said GG, we as parents are advocates for our children! I am so very sorry you've had to suffer through this all these years.
Great Thread GG My daughter as an adult, had to deal with her father divorcing his wife and her little brothers issues. She did say she was thankful I never married her father because it would have hurt her to live life that way.
JeeepersCowpet Bay, Saint Thomas Virgin Islands (USA)6,482 posts
Wow !! That would have been tough I bet. I'm sorry that you had to make that decision. Did they give you the option to spend time with both parents ? I haven't read the whole thread, I'm sorry if this has been answered already.
trueheart1941brentwood essex, Essex, England UK8,005 posts
when i divorced my wife .my three girls....never really forgave me....havent seen them in 20 years...it breaks my heart.....because i loved them to pieces........still do........
Godsgift: I'm raising this because I was forced to make a choice as a child which has haunted me ever since. I stayed with my dad which left me feeling guilty about abandoning my mum.
Only now am I realising the fear of commitment it has given me. The more I think about this, the more I feel my parents were not thinking of the long term or my best interests.
Many of you on here I know have experienced this from the parent's side so I would love to hear peoples thoughts. Thanks
GG
Forced: So you actually mean "forced"?
I don't believe its right to coerce or even "persuade" a child.
Surely, despite their differences, the parents are the ADULTS and, therefore, should maintain some maturity about their relationship with the children? Showing some unity re. the kids would surely mean that they could continue to have a healthy relationship with BOTH parents EQUALLY?
Godsgift: I'm raising this because I was forced to make a choice as a child which has haunted me ever since. I stayed with my dad which left me feeling guilty about abandoning my mum.
it is only natural that you would feel such guilt - but you are not guilty. You did not cause the breakup. The "choice" they put before you was not a choice of your own choosing, so it was not a free choice.
Was it fair of them or the court to ask you? I think yes. Your physical body cannot be in two places at once, so it was fair of them to ask which physical place you preferred. But your heart can be in many places at once - you can continue to love both your parents, even after their bodies have gone away, even after their bodies have died.
Godsgift: Only now am I realising the fear of commitment it has given me. The more I think about this, the more I feel my parents were not thinking of the long term or my best interests.
There is/was a philosopher/guru called Goenka, who said: "I am responsible for my own reactions". He was absolutely correct. You, and you alone, are responsible for your own feelings. So if your feelings upset you, you have the power to change them. You cannot change the events that triggered those feelings - which are your reactions to the events - but you can change the feelings themselves.
And there is more... it was not your parents' fault that they broke up. They are not guilty of any crime or misdemeanour. Just as your feelings control you, so their feelings controlled them. Neither they, nor you, nor me, nor any human is a perfectly rational being with free will. Instead, we are kind of like machines, programmed by our genetic apparatus to develop in a certain way, including developing internal control apparatuses that we call our hearts and minds. These apparatuses are imperfect. You would not criticise a cripple for having a bad leg, and neither should you criticise a parent (or a child) for being unable to control their emotions and be completely altruistic.
If you can learn to forgive your parents for their weaknesses, you can start to learn to forgive yourself for your own.
On the subject of commitment, this is a tricky one. There is no scientific evidence that monogamy is a natural state for humans. Marriage, like religion, like the Law, is a social construct, not a biological imperative. Commitment is not something to be feared, and neither should it be something to be legislated. That it is legislated has nothing to do with morals, but everything to do with social control.
From a woman's point of view, unless she has an independent means of support, she needs commitment from a man for practical reasons. And psychological ones too, for she is in a competition with all other women on the planet for "her" man's affections, just as he is in a competition with all other men on the planet for hers.
The bottom line is, no-one can guarantee a perpetual commitment, but anyone can make an intention to commit, which is all anyone can reasonably ask of another. The way to express that commitment in words is very simple: "I love you".
trueheart1941: when i divorced my wife .my three girls....never really forgave me....havent seen them in 20 years...it breaks my heart.....because i loved them to pieces........still do........
Any child/adult that chooses to neglect their parents will have a suck life and so will their children. Karma is the child that knows a grandparent needs and gives it to them.
NAKEDMUDPEOPLE: Any child/adult that chooses to neglect their parents will have a suck life and so will their children. Karma is the child that knows a grandparent needs and gives it to them.
Right on!!! I stuck with my mom even when her biological son kicked her to the curb so to speak...now that she's passed, I know I've done all that a daughter can do...what goes around, comes around.
2intrigued: Right on!!! I stuck with my mom even when her biological son kicked her to the curb so to speak...now that she's passed, I know I've done all that a daughter can do...what goes around, comes around.
Parents that stay together for the (FREAKING SAKE OF THE CHILDREN)family, get over yourslef! If you are selfish.......YOUR CHILDREN WILL SUFFER YOU!/size]
If my daughter chose her father, she would have not a need, because she was with me her life is hers, owned, earned and obtained by a young woman with nothing!
Report threads that break rules, are offensive, or contain fighting. Staff may not be aware of the forum abuse, and cannot do anything about it unless you tell us about it. click to report forum abuse »
Is It OK To Ask A Child Which Parent He or She Wants To Stay With After Separation(Vote Below)
Only now am I realising the fear of commitment it has given me. The more I think about this, the more I feel my parents were not thinking of the long term or my best interests.
Many of you on here I know have experienced this from the parent's side so I would love to hear peoples thoughts. Thanks
GG