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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Or is this an utterly INSANE relationship

33 replies

Calamitycassie · 04/05/2024 17:59

Hi, long time reader. Made an account to post this as I’m at my wits end.

My DM. Particularly and my Dsis.

DM & I have a long history of a turbulent relationship. She wasn’t great to me growing up - absolutely a story for another thread. Think general nastiness, bitching, selfishness, no boundaries etc.

I have a DS (sis) with a 19 year age gap. Me being the eldest. She is now 14.

My DM is OBSESSED with her. I don’t mean this to say she’s the apple of her eye, I mean genuinely completely and utterly obsessed.

Examples and background:

  • DS plays rugby which has became DMs whole personality. I’m talking 7 days a week 24 hours a day. Social media posts, any conversation related back to it, don’t get to see her because “DS is at training” (again, 7 days per week”
  • Has essentially de-registered DS from school almost 2 years ago to “focus on rugby” as it will absolutely be her career so school is just a social experience for her (dms words)
  • DS trains 6 times away and plays at the weekend, along side: 121 stretch classes 121 speed lessons 121 strength and weight training, sports massages, 121 skill coaching. This is every week and has been for going on 2 years.
  • my DM has never worked (don’t ask me how this is all afforded) but is the busiest person on the planet to see my DC or god forbid help out with childcare for an hour or two. This is probably an hour every 2 weeks that she sees my DC. Even then it’s rugby rugby rugby.
  • has DS under a mental health team with the previous schools support, meaning that the school has supported her being off school and not doing home learning at all because it’s what’s best for her mental health. This is all down to what DM has piled on to them to get them to allow this.
  • DS dad is in the picture and still married to my DM but doesn’t get a say in any of this
  • wont allow DS to stay out as she is on a “sleep schedule”, won’t allow her takeaways often, sweets, fizzy drinks, bottled water only (even to boil a kettle for a cup of tea), won’t allow her to be home alone for even 30 minutes. (This is important and relevant), won’t allow her to go out with me and DC without dm being present, won’t allow her to have the odd McDonald’s - and if she does whilst in the care of a family member she has something to say about it. Won’t allow her on days out I.e trampoline parks, as “she can’t risk her getting injured” and best of all, couldn’t take my DB to a very important doctors appointment as “she can’t risk X catching anything from a doctors surgery and getting ill”

now of course it would be easy to say live and let live however this is all severely impacting my relationship with DM. I am finding her insufferable and I am on such a short fuse. Everything is an instagram show. She causes arguments with me and other family members if we don’t attend rugby matches and calls us disgusting for not supporting ds. She has NO time for me or DC and if she does then DS is in tow too (obviously). I can’t have a conversation with her without her bringing DS or rugby up, I can’t have a private conversation about adult things as DS is there (on the phone or in person) it’s just too much. My DC never see their grandparent and it’s impacting the relationship. It’s got to the point I don’t even actually want DC there without me anymore as she starts trying to influence them to also join rugby and banging on about it.

so as not to drip feed, DS is more than happy to be going along with all this and in my opinion plays it like a fiddle as far as school is concerned. She only gets upset about the not being allowed sweets and such. I find her entitled and quite often rude. Undermines me massively as far as my DC are concerned and it’s “well I’m their aunty” whenever I try to discipline them. Sort of a “I’m their aunt so move” sort of tone. DM can’t see any of this of course.

what do I do? If I have it all out with her it will be world war 3 (as history has it) and we will end up NC.

Thanks for reading this far

OP posts:
longdistanceclaraclara · 04/05/2024 18:19

It sounds tiresome.

Calamitycassie · 04/05/2024 18:16

The issue is I can’t get through to dm how damaging it is and how upsetting it is for me. She openly says she’s “a different parent” to how I was raised. Yet still makes no time despite admitting her flaws

OP posts:
cheddercherry · 04/05/2024 18:15

Why bother? It all sounds exhausting and I’m not sure what you and your kids are benefiting from the situation. It does all sound extreme and dramatic and I imagine life would be quieter without the drama.

Calamitycassie · 04/05/2024 18:15

pinkdays · 04/05/2024 18:07

What is the actual issue?

Your DM sounds weird and manipulative so why would you want her near your children?

You don't sound concerned about your sister at all, which is odd as she is being flogged into the ground for a hobby and missing schooling and I'm assuming friendships and independence.

What is the issue?

Oh I absolutely care about my DS. It’s just way beyond me being able to do anything about it. She seems happy enough. Why wouldn’t she? She’s paraded around like a trophy, allowed to do what she likes as far as time off/school goes, has a say in everything from where they will or won’t go, holidays, even to what sofa they will or won’t have in the house.

she’s a sweet kid when she wants to be. Just very very mislead but she has 2 parents to guide her it’s not my responsibility and nor can I do anything about it

OP posts:
ToBeOrNotToBee · 04/05/2024 18:14

I sincerely hope your sister will have enough funds to pay for therapy when older. By the sounds of it, she'll need it.

TheCultureHusks · 04/05/2024 18:12

Oh and needless to say your DS is a victim here and your mum is appalling, but there’s nothing you can do about that, the only thing I would want to ensure is that I keep big distance between her and my kids, so again, yes to NC!

TheCultureHusks · 04/05/2024 18:10

Well NC sounds pretty appealing to me. You’re actively getting nothing out of either relationship. Except for your kids getting to see a toxic dynamic and to watch themselves being second best and their mum undermined by a 14 year old little squirt.

I’d be looking ahead to when your kids are older and being one step ahead. It’s fine now when you can prevent them having too much influence on your kids, but what about when they are teenagers and your DS, who seems to quite enjoy using them in a bit of power play already, carries that on? You can whisk away a six year old, not so much a 14 year old whose glam exciting 21 year old auntie has her ear and is telling her she doesn’t need to listen to her boring old mum.

I’ve known one dynamic a lot like this and the one thing my friend (who is you in that scenario) wishes she’d done is cut the link with her kids and the toxic family members before her kids developed their own relationships with them, as they absolutely use her kids to get to her.

pinkdays · 04/05/2024 18:07

What is the actual issue?

Your DM sounds weird and manipulative so why would you want her near your children?

You don't sound concerned about your sister at all, which is odd as she is being flogged into the ground for a hobby and missing schooling and I'm assuming friendships and independence.

What is the issue?