S14 has problems with S17 - they are both angry and often take their anger out on each other.
And yeah, you hit the nail with your comment: stbx does try to be a 'buddy' rather than a father.
Tellingly, when we were on the cruise just days before bomb drop, a steward asked me if stbx was their older brother. I was mortified at the time cause i thought he meant i looked old enough to be his mother.
But thinking back on it, steward didn't know I was stbx's wife, just saw me as part of the extended family group. And stbx was acting like a teenager with the kids, even in public.
Re the call, stbx ended it pretty soon after he got little response from S14. Told S14 to call him back when he had more time to talk. S14 did not return the call.
