A 35-year-old divorced woman shared a troubling incident about her young daughter and her ex-husband’s new girlfriend. The daughter had been spending time with her father and his girlfriend without any issues, until the mother revealed something concerning about their interactions.
Vanessa and her husband separated a year ago.
Vanessa, 35, recently wrote to us about a difficult and emotional situation involving her daughter. She feels she has every right to be upset about what happened.
Vanessa shared, “My husband Josh and I split a year ago. Our divorce went smoothly and respectfully. We had no feelings left for each other and were only staying together for our little daughter, Miranda. Eventually, we both wanted to move on and start new relationships.
Vanessa continued, “We worked hard to make sure our divorce didn’t negatively impact Miranda. We stayed very involved in her life, attending all her activities and making her the center of our world. Miranda is a smart little girl, and she knew something was going on between us. But as long as we treated her the same, she stayed pretty calm about everything.”
Both partners moved on and started new relationships with different people.
Vanessa continues her story, saying, “I’m currently dating a man named Frank, but I haven’t introduced him to Miranda yet. I want to make sure our relationship is serious before involving her.”
She adds, “My ex-husband has a girlfriend, Kylie, and they’ve been together for five months. I haven’t met her in person, but Miranda visits them often, and I never had any problems with their interaction. In fact, I was happy that they bonded so well. Miranda often talks about how much she likes Kylie.”
Vanessa explained, “I was truly happy that my daughter has another caring woman in her life. I even wanted to meet Kylie one day to thank her for being so good to our daughter. I have no jealousy and am relaxed about Kylie being in my ex’s and my daughter’s lives. But one thing made me angry and disappointed.”
Vanessa found out something troubling about the girlfriend.
Vanessa writes, “Miranda often visits her dad and Kylie, and she loves spending time with them. Her dad picks her up three times a week, sometimes more. I always make sure I know where they’ve been and what they’ve done together. My ex-husband understands this, so he keeps me informed, and Miranda shares her own details too.”
Vanessa explains, “I knew Kylie sometimes took care of Miranda, like combing her hair or buying her new clothes. I was okay with that. But last week, Miranda came back from their place looking upset, and I could tell something was wrong. I gently asked her what was bothering her and why she seemed so sad. She told me she lost her rubber duckling and was disappointed. I asked her why she took her rubber duckling to her dad’s place since she usually only used it for baths and showers at home. It was her special habit.”
She reveals, “That’s when Miranda told me that Kylie had been giving her baths. This had happened multiple times, and this time they lost the duckling in Kylie’s bathroom. Hearing this made me really upset.”
Vanessa decided to directly address the issue.
Vanessa decided to talk openly with her ex-husband and his girlfriend. “I gathered all my courage to talk to Josh and Kylie about what happened with Miranda. When I explained the situation, Josh looked surprised, and Kylie seemed taken aback, but they listened as I explained Miranda’s distress over losing her rubber duckling and the circumstances surrounding it.
Kylie immediately explained that she didn’t mean to cross any boundaries. Josh agreed, saying they didn’t think it would be an issue and that they were just trying to take care of Miranda.
As we talked, things got tense, but we reached a resolution. Josh and Kylie apologized for their mistake and assured me it wouldn’t happen again without my permission. I made it clear that Miranda’s comfort and safety were the most important things.”
