OMG, the kids came home Sunday saying that they had a few new things (toy stuff) their dad had bought them and DD6 promptly reported "it HAS to stay ONLY at Daddys house". I did not push the issue but was and AM disgusted. He buys them stuff to be excited about then only allows them to use it when they are there?
That is just BS insanity.
Ironically I sent them with new coloring books I had just gotten them (actually they used tooth fairy money they had saved to buy them themselves) because they wanted to bring them to color in and show their dad. I could not have cared less if they made it home or not.
The point is for the kids to have fun with their stuff... Not for the psycho adult to use kids stuff to lure kids into wanting to be with him...
UGH UGH UGH.
Good to know I guess, that other mentally unwell parents have done this too...
My heart just aches for my kids...
Originally Posted by
MissFixit 
Mentally ill parents are weird. When I was a kid, toys my mom's family gave to my sister and me had to stay at her house. Anything she gave us or from her family had to stay at her place. We saw her every other weekend, so there were some tears when we had to part with "our" stuff including clothes they gave us. I remember begging her to let me take a cabbage patch kid my grandmother (her mother) gave to me. She would not. It had to remain in our room at her place until we could play with it again on our next visit. It was really sick stuff. As a kid, you just learn to detach as a survival skill.
FWIW, she did the same with "her" time with us. She viewed us as her property, not real people. We have no relationship with her now, just to let you know how these scenarios play out. Her behavior never improved. As adults she acts like our (my sister and mine) very demanding child. Always about her.