my 5 year old meeting a new stepmom every weekend

by TATIANA
(ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA)

what type of consequences are left on a 5 year old girl when my ex husband takes her on his weekend and introduces her to a different girl friend all the time?


Ben's Answer:

It really depends on the context; depends on what her father is telling her and how he's behaving with these girl friends in front of her. If he's treating them as "friends" then their may be no serious consequence. But if he's treating each of these women as an intimate partner, then it would be confusing for your daughter. She would probably begin to feel insecure and distrustful both of her father and his girlfriends. How could she ever know who was going to stick around to be there for her? And what would this teach her about men? I'm sure that having trust in men would be an issue for her later in life if she's witness to a lot of these short term relationships with her father.

Having a solid, honest and secure relationship with you, and not engaging in "adult" conversations or bashing the other parent, could help to cushion some of the impact of all this.

I wish you the best,
Ben Schwarcz, MFT