My 13yo refused to come to my place this weekend

Dec 15·1 min read

Said he "didn't feel like it." His mom apparently backed him up. I confronted her and she said I can't force a teenager to visit. Technically true I guess but like... he's got stuff here, we had plans, and this feels like it's becoming a pattern. Last month it was twice.

Do I just accept this or should I actually pursue a modification? I don't want to be the "my way or the highway" dad but I also feel like she's enabling him to blow me off.

6 comments453 views

Comments(6)

AAdam J.RegularDec 15

Don't lean on mom to force him, that breeds resentment. But also don't just accept it silently. Reach out to HIM and actually listen to what's going on

LLeo R.New DadDec 16

his mom backing him up without at least asking WHY he doesn't want to come is weak parenting tbh. she's dodging the responsibility

RRaj P.RegularDec 17

Real talk though - if it's become a pattern, that's different than a one-time thing. One skip is whatever, repeated refusals means something's actually broken

WWyatt C.RegularDec 16

at 13 yeah you kinda can't force it, but that doesn't mean it's okay for mom to just shrug it off. there should be a conversation about why he's refusing

DDominic E.RegularDec 17

this sucks. but "didn't feel like it" at 13 usually means something's bugging him - whether it's friend drama, school stress, or something about the visitation itself

SStan D.RegularDec 17

i've been where you are. ended up texting my son directly (not through mom) and asking what was actually up. turned out he was anxious about something dumb and once we talked about it he wanted to come