• Home
  • >
  • But you've got a new family now...

But you've got a new family now...

 
Making contact

No matter how much you tell them it wasn’t about them and you still love them, lots of children will still feel very rejected if you leave the family to live with someone else. This is particularly true if you move in with a family where there are other children. Think of it from their point of view:

“Dad can’t have loved us very much if he wanted to live with those other kids more than us – I don’t know what we did wrong”

If the break up was messy, they may feel angry towards you for upsetting their mum. They may think you prefer your new partner’s children to them. You will need to prioritise time with them to show them that this isn’t true. This will mean your new partner will have to understand this – in any case, she is always going to have to understand that your own children come first and support this.

If she doesn’t, it’s going to be difficult for you to maintain your commitment to your children and as you're trying to be the best dad you can be, you will have to think about whether or not this relationship is going to work.

Next: Will the reality match the fantasy?

 

After getting to know each other and when your child’s mother or ...

Dads Space survey

Help us improve Dads Space by answering some quick questions. You could win a £10 Amazon voucher!

Take the survey

Dads Space channels: