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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to stop always hosting visits when my mum refuses help?

103 replies

CopperFern · 09/06/2026 11:30

My mother lives half a mile away from me. We see her at least every other week. My kids (5 and 2) love her and she clearly loves them back.

We’re not allowed in her home, because it’s too messy and dirty. My youngest has never been to her house and my oldest was last there maybe 2.5 years ago and is now starting to ask why we can’t visit.

Mum’s been retired for a year and keeps saying she’s going to “sanitise” her house and get it in order, but thus far I think if anything it’s got worse since she retired. Last year she was threatened a fine by the council for the state of her (tiny) yard, which i found out via my sibling.

She has the money to hire cleaners, should she choose to. My siblings and I have offered to help her clean (as we have in the past). All we get is “I’ll get around to it, stop nagging me”.

AIBU to put my foot down and say we can’t always meet at my house?

OP posts:
ThejoyofNC · 09/06/2026 11:41

YABU why would you want to go there? I don't understand how this impacts your life at all to be honest. When you have kids it's by far easier for visitors to come to you so I'd see it as a win if anything.

Obviously you don't want her living in squalor, but that doesn't appear to be your issue.

roundaboutthehillsareshining · 09/06/2026 11:33

For it to have got to the point that the council have got involved, this sounds like more than a dirty house and possibly moving into the realms of hoarding? Hoarding is a symptom of complex mental illhealth - linked to trauma, depression, compulsive thinking etc. It's not usually a problem that can be solved by ultimatums or threats, but requires intensive mental health support.
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/hoarding-disorder/

BlondeFool · 09/06/2026 11:32

Why isolate her even more? She’s clearly struggling. Is she a hoarder?

if she’s embarrassed it isn’t easy to just hire cleaners.