Parenting at ex’s house is an issue for new wife

Dear Abby: I am a divorced father who has recently remarried. I have parenting time with my children one weeknight and every other weekend.

My children have told me that during the week they prefer doing their homework at their mother’s home. They say that by the time I pick them up, prepare dinner and they start their homework, it’s already time to return to their mother’s. They are at ages where homework assignments can take several hours.

My ex is OK with me spending time with them at her home. She uses the time to run errands and do other things she may not have time for during the week. When there’s no school, I bring the kids to our house. All weekend parenting time takes place at my home.

The problem is, my present wife can’t stand that I spend time with my children at my ex’s home. She doesn’t understand why I won’t bring them here. I feel there’s ample opportunity on the weekends for my kids to be at our house and for her to build a relationship with them. Academics are crucial at this point in their lives.

So do I disrupt their homework to accommodate my wife? Or should I continue the arrangement that my kids, my former wife and I have established? — Parenting Time

In Nebraska

Dear Parenting Time: It appears you have married a woman who is insecure. Your children’s reasons for wanting to stay at their mother’s during the week seem valid. You didn’t mention how long you and wife No. 2 have been married, but if it’s a brand-new marriage, point out that during school breaks and summer vacation she will have the midweek time to bond with your children that she’s craving.