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AIBU?

I've caused a family rift, just by trying to help.

47 replies

WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:17

This is such an awkward situation. My DH insists we spend a lot of time down my MIL's house. My MIL has a son of 49 who still lives with her. He's never had a real girl friend and is besoted with me. He's always saying inapropriate things of a sexual nature and if I walk passed him, he tries to feel my backside. It is totally cringeworthy! I tell him all the time it's not on, but he doesn't listen. I think he may have some kind of Autism. He suffers from depression and flies off the handle at all kinds of things. Everyone tip toes around him and tries not to upset him.
My MIL has been feeling really down recently. I think she's got severe depression. She was crying to me a few days ago saying she couldn't cope etc. She never shows this to her sons. She's always bright and cheerful around them as she doesn't want them to worry.
The other day, I could tell she was feeling down, and her son who lives at home was going on at her about his worries, as he does. When he came out of the room, I had a quiet word with him and just said, "your mum is feeling really low at the moment, can you try to keep the conversation a bit more positive? He says "Oh, o.k, I didn't realise". Then he goes streight to tell her that I'd said not to talk to her! Then she gets seriously pissed off with me. Confused I can't believe that he'd run and tell mummy! It makes me so angary to think of all the things I've kept quiet for him, as not to cause any problems within the family. I was so angary that I told my DH what he's been like with me. He said he had his suspissions, as he'd noticed how he follows me around.
Now my DH is saying that he never wants us to go to his mums house again! He doesn't want to see his brother. I did want there to be a bit of a cooling off, and for the visits not to be so frequent, but I didn't want it to be perminent.
Our daughter loves her Grandma and he house has been her 2nd home since she was born. He also loves her wheezle of an uncle. She'd be destraught at not seeing them again, and they would be, at not seing her.
I do regret telling my DH about my brother in law, but what's done is done.
Where should we go from here??? How can I persuade my DH to want to go back to his mums?

OP posts:
BubblegumPie · 18/02/2013 20:21

These things tend to blow over in time anyway, just don't worry about it and when you do start seeing them again, make it clear to BIL that you won't tolerate his sexual harassment.

SarkyPants · 18/02/2013 20:22

Listen to your DH and invite your MIL to your house.
I'm shocked that you didn't tell your DH earlier tbh.

HecateWhoopass · 18/02/2013 20:23

What makes you believe he has autism?

I think it's a good thing that this is out in the open. Not telling people what he was doing helped nobody. It just kept you in an unacceptable situation.

You have a daughter. you do not want to find in ten years time that her uncle is feeling her up too. You have to ensure that he stops.

You can't always avoid conflict and this is one of those situations where you shouldn't try.

Failing to ensure that something like this is sorted is the wrong thing to do. Peace at any cost is not right.

Your husband needs to have some frank conversations with his mum about his brother.

It would be the wrong thing to do to try to brush this under the carpet.

Adversecamber · 18/02/2013 20:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:24

I hope so. It's our daughters birthday in just over a week. They need to be at the party, or my DD will be devestated.

OP posts:
piprabbit · 18/02/2013 20:25

Leave it for a while - and then suggest a visit for Mother's Day (which is only a few weeks off) if your DH doesn't seem keen to visit sooner than that.

TaggieCampbellBlack · 18/02/2013 20:28

Why the armchair autism diagnosis?

Why not only see them at your house when your dh is around?

HollaAtMeBaby · 18/02/2013 20:29

What is a wheezle?

I can't understand why you would want to go there. What does your DH do when his brother grabs your arse? It's a disgusting way to behave and by tolerating it you are sending a terrible message to your daughter.

WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:32

I suspect Autism, from what his mum tells me about his childhood. He sat for a whole nursary session with his eyes closed and fingers in his ears, he hated change and was very anxious. He's still like that now, although he has his own small buisness. He hates being out of work and still wears his uniform around the house and when a job comes in, he panicks like mad. He's also obsessed with statistics and measures the rain fall every day. I know he might not have autism, but I do think he has some kind of difficulty with accepting things.

OP posts:
DontmindifIdo · 18/02/2013 20:34

I think your DH is right, do you want your DD think it's ok for her uncle to touch her mother like that? He is touching you inappropriately, showing your DD that woman should be passive to this stuff is a seriously crap lesson to teach her.

This is your DH's family, if he wants to cut ties (even if only for a short time) with your BIL that should be his choice. Invite your MIL to you.

WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:37

A wheezle is what normal people would call a weezle. Grin

He only does and says these things when we are on our own. My MIL has a huge 7 bedroom house, and my DH is often bussy doing the dishes or playing on the computor. I can't be at his side all the time. I have my dd to look after and things to do while I'm there.

OP posts:
HecateWhoopass · 18/02/2013 20:38

If he functions in the world enough to run a business - he is capable of understanding that you do not intimately touch people!

My children do have autism. Diagnosed. I don't shy away from teaching them what is and is not acceptable. you fail them if you don't try.

Whether he has autism or not he has no right to behave the way he does. It's not an excuse to allow behaviours to go unchallenged. It's not a reason to play let's pretend there's not a problem here.

It needs dealing with.

Perhaps he needs support. Your mother in law certainly sounds like she's hanging on by her fingernails and happy families may be easier in the short term but how much more can she stand before she snaps?

Get together as a family and deal with the issues.

HecateWhoopass · 18/02/2013 20:39

x-post.

Come on. He knows exactly what he is doing. Waits for you to be alone before touching you?

That is NOT autistic behaviour. that is predatory behaviour.

TaggieCampbellBlack · 18/02/2013 20:39

Please stop before I get cross and focus on what is the problem. Inappropriate behaviour from a relative. Just don't ever be alone with him.

GingerbreadGretel · 18/02/2013 20:41

Or weasel even?

Hecate offers good advice as to many others.

WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:44

True. I don't know a huge amount about Autism, but a friend of mine has a son who has Asburgers and from being with him and from what my friend tells me, they do sound simillar.

OP posts:
WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:48

O.k, he's a weasel then. That does look better.

I am taking all your advice and I won't put myself in that situation ever again. It will be easier now my DH knows. We won't stay the night, and I'll stay with him the whole time. If this doesn't work, then MIL will have to come to us.

OP posts:
marmalade32 · 18/02/2013 20:49

You need to focus on the main problem, which isn't the family arguements but is the fact that your BIL has been touching you and being inappropriate. You have to think of your daughter. What if she gets a bit older and he starts doing it to her ? If your MIL won't accept that he's doing it then tough ! What's more important ?
And I really don't see what criticising the OPs spelling will add to the discussion.

TaggieCampbellBlack · 18/02/2013 20:49

Well there you are then.

He's autistic so that makes him feel you up when you are alone.

No wonder your husband is narked.

WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:50

I know that MIL will think I've told my DH about my BIL just because I was angary with him. (This is kind of true) but she'll see it as me being nasty and trying to cause problems for him. It's all about him in that family.

OP posts:
HecateWhoopass · 18/02/2013 20:52

Doesn't matter.

it does not matter even if he DID have autism.

The issues still need dealing with.

and just so you understand a bit more, autism is a neurological condition that affects, well, many things. The way you interact with people, the way you understand people, how you experience the physical world.

info here on the triad of impairments

info here about autism

and here

Nothing about having autism makes you predatory or uncaring. You may need support depending on your needs to understand appropriate behaviours. You may need help to understand how others feel at times. But there's nothing about autism that means you want to feel up your sister in law.

TaggieCampbellBlack · 18/02/2013 20:55

Wish I had as much patience as Hec.

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WaybulooTheBelt · 18/02/2013 20:56

I know it's not an excuse. My daughter has severe learning dificulties, but she can be naughty like all children.
I guess i'm just trying to paint a picture of him and what he's like.

OP posts:
HecateWhoopass · 18/02/2013 21:00

Doesn't matter though.

the issue is what matters and it needs sorting out. The only point at which it may matter is in deciding how best to sort it out. What approach to take. But not sorting it is not the right thing to do.

Don't bury your head in the sand and let him carry on because it's easier right now.

And it's really unhelpful to all concerned to try to excuse or ignore or accept the unacceptable on the grounds that he may possibly have autism based on very little understanding of what autism actually is and a story from your mother in law about the time he stuck his fingers in his ears at nursery!

MusicalEndorphins · 18/02/2013 21:01

Would you say that your bil is a burden on your MIL? Why, at his age, does he live at home?
It is good you told your husband finally, I hope he has a talk with his brother and also his mother is it comes back negatively on you.
You have tried to keep the peace far to long, and nobody has the right to sexually harass you, regardless of how odd they may be.

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