sociopath, psychopath, con artist, antisocial, con man, bigamist, fraud, sociopathy, psychopathy

ASK DR. LEEDOM: “My ex-husband acts perverted around the children!”

Recently, a reader posted this in a comment about the father of her children. The comment contains several questions, I’ll address the most concerning first. To read the full comment, see Love Fraud: A spectrum (Part 1).

Another common behavior of my ex that I think affects my children is that he is kind of perverted in what he says and does. When I was married to him, he would continually grab my crotch and butt, and pinch and twist my breasts in a hurtful way, always in front of the children and always against my wishes. He also would say very sexual, inappropriate things. I notice this behavior in my oldest and youngest boys when they come home from his visits. They continually hit and grab the privates of each other in the same way my ex did. I have had to make it very clear that this behavior is not acceptable in my home. My daughter also complains that he says a lot of perverted things to her that make her uncomfortable. She says when she calls him on it, he hangs up and won’t talk to her. 

Please be aware that what you describe in terms of the sexual behavior is considered sexual abuse, especially with regard to your daughter. Sandra Brown, MA in her book Counseling Victims of Violence lists as sexual abuse of children:

“-Being made to listen to age- inappropriate dialogue containing sexual jargon or pertaining to sexual acts.

-Being looked or leered at in way that make one feel uncomfortable, or being subjected to inappropriate remarks about one’s developing body.

-Being made to watch or look at age-inappropriate literature, tapes, OR PEOPLE ACTING IN SEXUAL WAYS.” (caps mine)

Sociopaths and narcissists do so many outrageous things that we end up disregarding some of them because to deal with all of their behavior is overwhelming. Since our society is so sexual, there may be a tendency to look the other way regarding violations of sexual boundaries with children. The above behaviors listed by Sandra Brown, MA are clear violations of sexual boundaries that should be in place with children.

Father has also modeled for his sons how to use sex to gain power and abuse women. He models this behavior for his sons when he sexually humiliates their sister in front of them.

I am not suggesting that anyone in this situation, act precipitously to put a stop to it. This poor mother has already been to court once to get visitation restricted and lost. When dealing with sociopaths and narcissists, it is best to get plenty of professionals on your side and to have a well thought out plan.

written by Liane Leedom, M.D.Permalink

One Comment to “ASK DR. LEEDOM: “My ex-husband acts perverted around the children!””

Your Ad Here
  1. 421dmb2 says:

    Your advice to people dealing with these situations is very, very true. It is foolish to procede if you don’t have professionals on your side and you don’t have a well-thought out plan. Don’t even bother to seek the help of the courts if you don’t. The odds are against you if you are trying to show emotional or sexual abuse. It is difficult to get professionals on your side if they come into the situation after the marriage separation occurs, especially if your ex is a good liar. The professionals will not know who to believe. Documentation is very important. Keep all notes and phone messages. If you can, have neighbors document any crazy behavior they have witnessed. I would even suggest taping phone calls. The calls can not be used in court, but they can be given to professionals so that they “hear” the truth and support you. I would also have the police document events…even if the police give you a hard time…be persistent. You need documentation. Also, recently I have read about psychologist who have become specialized in legal matters regarding these kinds of personalities. They are very expensive, but I think they are necessary because they know how to piece all the information together to the courts. They also will only advocate for what is best for the children. It sounds like they really comb through the evidence…to determine what is going on…and then develop a plan with your lawyers on how to present it all. They also provide coaching for how to present your side to the GAL. I found out about these psychologist consultants after the fact. I think it would be a great service to readers of this site, if we could look into these psychologists, determine if they are really and truly qualified, and then provide their names as a resource. I think I put too much faith in the court system, and in the lawyers and counselors involved in my case. You can not do that. They may not understand sociopaths and narcissists and can easily misguide you.

    Wednesday, 28 March 2007 @ 10:31pm

Post a Comment

You must be registered user and logged in to post a comment.

«Back to Lovefraud Blog home