Parenting advice on how to approach a subject with my girls please.... (loving, separated)

[waynedear]

Please help me understand better what I am doing wrong if anything….
My name is Wayne and I am from the UK, I got divorced earlier this year after an acrimonious split from my ex-partner.

I fought a long battle in the UK courts to keep and build upon the good relationship that I have with my children, the UK doesn’t seem to look to kindly upon separated Fathers and as a consequence with the cost of it all I was made bankrupt and I lost my home.

During this time I began to see a friend of mine and it has developed into a loving caring relationship, it took me a whole 13 months to be allowed to introduce her to my children and my children now appear to have a good relationship with her.

I am mindful not to overbear my children with my new partner as I experienced this as a child myself, she has two small girls of similar age to my children and they all get on fine.

The problem I have at the moment is this, the girls appear to be going home to their mother and telling her things like, “when we see dad, she’s always there”, I really do find this hard to stomach as I don’t see my partner all that much when I have my kids and on occasions when I do I ask them first or they even ask me if she can come round, I understand why they are telling me one thing and their mother another, but its driving what already is a big stake even further between us.

I am worried that if it is indeed true what the girls are telling their mother is what they really feel, then how do I deal with this, I have been seeing my partner for 16 months and am looking next year to rent a house with her, I would hope I am still allowed contact with the girls if I do go ahead and move in with her, I still want my children to come and stay with me as much as they currently do.

How do I speak with the children, how do I broach the subject and get to the truth?.