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Hi there,
Its often difficult when parents have split up and you feel like they are using you as part of their separation. You should be happy with the parent youre living with. If youre not happy, its okay to say so.
When parents split up it can be a very difficult time. There might be arguments or they may not be speaking at all. In either case its not fair for them to use you as a way of getting back at each other. This can leave you feeling like a piece of property rather than a person.
Its wrong of your mum to ignore you, whether you live there all the time or not. In any family theres always going to be lots of distractions away from spending time together. However, its important to make use of the time you do have, especially if its split between two parents like this.
Whether youre able to live with your dad will depend on how where you would live was first decided when your parents separated. If they went to court to decide this, your dad would need to go back to court and try to get it changed. If this was agreed between your mum and dad, then they will need to agree again now or go to court if they cant agree.
The best thing to do when you want things to change is make sure your feelings are known. Things arent likely to change unless you say something first. So your first step is to decide who you will talk to first and how you are going to bring it up. Your dad might be the best person to begin with. You need to find out if you are able to live with him first before you start trying to make that happen.
Whatever the case, this all may be stressful for you so its important to make sure you get as much support as you can. Its good if you have a friend that you can trust to share this with, so that you can let things out to them. There are also always counsellors at ChildLine ready to listen. I hope this helps.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
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