“My Ex-Husband Demanded the Tablet He Gifted Our Daughter Back Because of His New Wife – I Agreed, but on One Condition”
It’s funny how life turns out. A few months ago, I was living a somewhat quiet life, co-parenting with my ex-husband, trying to keep things civil for the sake of our daughter. Our divorce had been tough, but over time, we found a way to coexist for her. She was the most important thing, after all. We shared custody, made decisions together, and, in some ways, it felt like we were learning how to be a family again — just without the marriage.
But then, as life tends to do, it threw a curveball. My ex-husband, let’s call him Mark, got remarried. The news wasn’t a surprise. He had been seeing someone for a while before the divorce, so it didn’t feel like a shock. What did surprise me was how quickly everything seemed to change after that. He was now living a new life with his new wife, and things seemed to get a little more complicated between us.
One day, Mark called me. I could tell by his tone that something wasn’t right. When I answered, he got straight to the point.
“Hey, I need the tablet I gave Mia back. My wife doesn’t like it,” he said, sounding frustrated.
I blinked in confusion. “What do you mean? She doesn’t like it?”
He hesitated for a moment before replying, “Yeah. She thinks it’s unnecessary. She doesn’t think Mia should have a tablet at her age, and frankly, I don’t either. So, I want it back.”
I was stunned. This tablet wasn’t a luxury gift. It was something he had given Mia to help with her schoolwork, something we had both agreed she needed. Yet here he was, asking for it back because of his new wife’s opinion. I could understand if Mia wasn’t using it, but she was — almost daily. She loved it, and it helped her keep up with her studies.
But I had been down this road before with Mark. The new relationship meant everything to him now, and I was left feeling like a second thought. Still, I knew I had to be rational for Mia’s sake. So, I agreed. But not without one condition.
“Fine,” I said, my voice calm but firm. “I’ll give it back to you, but on one condition.”
Mark’s curiosity piqued. “What’s that?”
“If Mia’s going to lose her tablet, then I’m taking back the gift you gave me when we got married,” I responded.
He paused, likely not expecting me to respond this way. I could hear him on the other end, trying to process my words.
“You’re kidding, right?” he finally asked.
“Nope,” I replied. “You don’t get to decide to take something from her that you gave her, just because your new wife doesn’t like it. But I’ll make you a deal — I’ll give you the tablet, but I’m taking back that expensive necklace you gifted me for our anniversary a few years ago. Fair’s fair, don’t you think?”
He was quiet for a moment. It was almost as if he didn’t believe I would follow through with it. But I wasn’t bluffing. I had been more than accommodating with him over the years, putting up with his whims and his desires. But now, he had crossed a line. Mia mattered more to me than anything else, and I wasn’t going to let him disregard her feelings for the sake of his new life.
Eventually, he relented. He agreed to let Mia keep the tablet and work things out with his wife.
It wasn’t about being petty or getting back at him. It was about drawing boundaries and teaching him that his decisions had consequences. He couldn’t expect to rewrite the rules of our co-parenting dynamic just because he was in a new relationship. I was a mother first, and that meant protecting my daughter — even if it meant being a little difficult.
It was a small victory, but a necessary one. Mark learned that the things we gave Mia couldn’t just be taken away because of new dynamics. And as for me, I learned that standing up for what’s right doesn’t always make you popular, but it’s always worth it in the end.
