DEAR DEIDRE: My daughter’s husband has told her their marriage is over and now he is bringing his new girlfriend back to their home.
My daughter is devastated. This announcement came out of the blue. They’ve been married for 10 years and they have three children under the age of eight.
She doesn’t work as she’s been bringing up the children. He is a police officer and the woman he’s been seeing is somebody he works with. He’s 38 and my daughter is 36.
They have a little bit of equity in the house so he wants to sell up, but my daughter says that there won’t be enough money for her to buy a house of her own and she has to protect the children.
She wants him to leave but he says he can’t afford to do that without selling the house as he can’t afford to rent privately.
He has also cut back on the money he contributes to the household and said to my daughter, “You’d better get used to it”.
She’s so unhappy. I’m her dad and I’m 60. How can I help her?
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DEIDRE SAYS: By being the loving and supportive dad and grandfather you’ve always been. That’s what good parents do.
Help out with childcare if you can and be a good role model for the children if their father is distracted. Encourage your daughter to go out with her friends to get support from them.
Your daughter needs some practical help to find out what she can do to keep a roof over their heads.
She can get advice through Rights of Women (https://rightsofwomen.org.uk/ 020 7251 6577.) This organisation advises women affected by all kinds of family situations including domestic abuse, divorce and finances.
Where the situation with her ex and his girlfriend is concerned, she’d benefit from reading my support pack called When Parents Fall Out.
