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Telling children after 10 year no contact

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Portsmouthmum

Member since
December 2025

2 posts

I've never reached out to anyone that's been through anything similar to me before. People close to me know and I occasionally discuss it but I think careful before telling anyone new.

My then husband got the 'knock' in 2015. Our kids were 1 and a baby at the time and I wasn't at home. I got to him telling me what had happened as various forms of technology had been removed. Possessing all categories of indecent images of both sexes including under the age of 5. Initially believed him when he said he just didn't know how they got there. The police were great and eventually very gently through revealing certain details made me realise that he was very much guilty. SS said I had no choice but to get him to leave the home and have supervised access by his mother at her house (which is where he moved to) in this time. The police revealed at one point that when asked if it could have been me his answer was 'it could have been' this was when I realised he was guilty. I had to then also be interviewed by police which was awful.

I left him and brought the children to see him at his mums house but never left them there without me. He entered not guilty but changed to guilty at the last minute to try and avoid a custodial sentence. He was sentenced to SHPO and to be in the register for 5 years, I think anything handed to him is now 'spent'. At this point I stopped him seeing the children. I received one solicitors letter which my solicitor responded to saying there would be no contact and that was that. They are now 11 and 12 and ask a lot of questions about their dad and why they don't see him. The time is coming where I may need to explain why but I have no idea how to do this or how to deal with the possible fall out. It'll be 10 years in Jan since he last saw them or I last heard from him. I'm terrified that at some point he'll come out of the woodwork askin to see the children (I realise this is probably unlikely but doesn't stop me worrying)

The kids don't remember him being babies when they last saw him. Has anyone got any advice around telling pre-teen children?

Posted Mon December 22, 2025 9:27amReport post

Distressed and pregnant

Member since
November 2020

1320 posts

1. An Exceptional Children’s Guide to Touch – Hunter Manasco (no age specified, but for young children, especially those with special needs)

2.Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept – Jayneen Sanders (3+)

3.It’s My Body – Lory Freeman (3–6 years)

4.Your Body Belongs to You – Cornelia Spelman (3–6 years)

5.My Body Belongs to Me – Jill Starishevsky (3–10 years)

6.Tell Somebody it Happened to Me – Nancy Flowers (4–10 years)

7.Come and Tell Me (Be sensible—and safe) – Helen Hollick (5–10 years)

8.Feeling Happy Feeling Safe (A safety guide for young children) – Michelle Elliott(6–11 years)

9. A Very Touching Book (for little people and for big people) – Jan Hindman (8–12 years)10. Let’s Talk About Sex (Growing up, changing bodies, sex and sexual health) – Robie H. Harris (Pre-teens and teenagers)There are also NSPCC guides to having difficult conversations xxx

Posted Tue December 23, 2025 10:11amReport post

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