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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

No sure what to do here.

37 replies

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 14:43

I'll try to cut this short.

Daughter is 20 and been wanting to move out for ages (without encouragement from me, I must add). We get on well and have a normal and healthy relationship and she has heart condition which is well managed but waiting for surgery. Because of this she only works part time.

Due to cicumstances we've moved around a lot and we found a rented house 18 months ago which we're settled in. After this I met my current partner who I've been with nearly a year and I'm very happy with. I see a future with him 100%. My daughter has said she likes my partner and they always seem to have a laugh together.

My partner wants to sell his house in Spring and for us to move in together in a new one. He also wants my daughter to move with us and so do I.

Myself and daughter have discussed this a few times and she says she doesn't want to move in with us, she wants her first place to be independent of us, plus she's sick of moving that many times, that she doesn't want to move out then have to move again.

She wants me to wait a few years to move out of our current rented place so she can save for her own place. Yet she says that she could house share or possibly house share with her dad.

YABU - She has a heart condition and you need to make allowances and let her live with you while she saves up and has her heart op.

YANBU - You're not being unfair in wanting to think of yourself and encouraging her to live independently.

Note, obviously title should say 'not' sure, can't change it!

OP posts:
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ComtesseDeSpair · 11/09/2026 18:01

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 15:38

Thank you.

In general we do get along yes, I've learned to be very patient and she has grown up a lot recently. But I still feel that I get taken for granted a bit as regards to what I put in around the house, although she still does help without me asking too.
I have health conditions too and we do very well to get on in general.

She absolutely needs to start pulling her weight properly around the house, excepting when her illness means she genuinely struggles with energy. But this would make me more concerned to move in with your partner with her. You and DD are a secure unit who rub along together and as her mum you show her leniency. Your partner may not feel the same way about living with another adult who he doesn’t think is doing enough around the house and taking things for granted - and there’s every potential for that to turn into tension, arguments, your DD feeling as though she’s being picked at, and you stuck in the middle feeling you need to take sides. What you don’t want is for all that to explode into a situation where she feels as though she needs to move out with not much planning into some other unideal living situation, and for the relationship you and she have to be damaged.

EatingCelery · 11/09/2026 15:46

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 14:52

It's a condition usually not dangerous or life threatening.

We've been together a year next month.

A year is no time at all.

Wait - there is no rush

bigboykitty · 11/09/2026 15:41

It sounds like it might be a good idea just to take things a bit more slowly and get to know him better @Imonmyownhere . I wouldn't move in with anyone if the relationship was less than 2 years old. Is he wanting to rush? Or are you both just a bit over-excited?

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 15:38

CatFairy · 11/09/2026 15:33

P.S. also, from your first post, you evidently enjoy living with your daughter and it sounds like the two of you have a strong and happy relationship, enjoying one another’s company. Wouldn’t it be a gift to be able to continue that a few years longer? I worry you would regret the loss of this time, even if all went wonderfully with your partner.

You say you’d rather stay living with her, whilst you also accept and support her wish to work towards independence.

If you move in with your partner and she therefore moves out sooner than she would have otherwise, this is time you could have had living with your daughter - something you would like to do - that you would be losing as a direct consequence of that choice.

You have mentioned in later posts that you yourself wonder if it’s too soon in the relationship anyway. Do fully acknowledge this – going by timelines, it very often is much too soon. I hope you know that if your partner were to object to this, it would be a concerning reaction on his part and should give you further pause rather than making you doubt a decision to hold off.

Thank you.

In general we do get along yes, I've learned to be very patient and she has grown up a lot recently. But I still feel that I get taken for granted a bit as regards to what I put in around the house, although she still does help without me asking too.
I have health conditions too and we do very well to get on in general.

OP posts:
Alittlefrustrated · 11/09/2026 15:35

No way would I mess your daughter about like that. Let her have some stability until she has/recovers from her surgery at least.
Her suggestion of waiting a couple of years seems very reasonable.
What if this new relationship goes wrong?
People will be along to say think of yourself, she's an adult. However she's still very young, has had a lot of upheavel, and is waiting for heart surgery.
My friend was shocked at how long she needed to recover from heart surgery, despite feeling fit as a lop and symptom free beforehand. (Her condition was found by chance).
If your relatiinship is meant to be, moving in can wait.

CatFairy · 11/09/2026 15:33

P.S. also, from your first post, you evidently enjoy living with your daughter and it sounds like the two of you have a strong and happy relationship, enjoying one another’s company. Wouldn’t it be a gift to be able to continue that a few years longer? I worry you would regret the loss of this time, even if all went wonderfully with your partner.

You say you’d rather stay living with her, whilst you also accept and support her wish to work towards independence.

If you move in with your partner and she therefore moves out sooner than she would have otherwise, this is time you could have had living with your daughter - something you would like to do - that you would be losing as a direct consequence of that choice.

You have mentioned in later posts that you yourself wonder if it’s too soon in the relationship anyway. Do fully acknowledge this – going by timelines, it very often is much too soon. I hope you know that if your partner were to object to this, it would be a concerning reaction on his part and should give you further pause rather than making you doubt a decision to hold off.

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 15:28

Pumpkinsaregrowingnicely · 11/09/2026 15:22

My 20 yo dd has asd. Circumstances saw her move out decently

Only 1 train stop /15 min drive away.

Both feel that was comfortable enough for us both !

Was it her decision?

Sorry edited to correct.

OP posts:
Pumpkinsaregrowingnicely · 11/09/2026 15:22

My 20 yo dd has asd. Circumstances saw her move out decently

Only 1 train stop /15 min drive away.

Both feel that was comfortable enough for us both !

ginasevern · 11/09/2026 15:22

Early days to be moving in with this bloke OP. Your daughter comes first and I would certainly put any upheaval on hold until she's had her surgery (assuming that's going to be in the foreseeable future)?

CatFairy · 11/09/2026 15:21

I think that quite separately from your daughter’s feelings and very reasonable wishes, it is a very good idea to hold off on moving in with your partner. Waiting a few years to do so would be wise, and does not mean your relationship with your partner can’t progress in the meantime.

Also, the fact your daughter would rather be in a house share or move to live with her dad than do a further move with you to be with your new partner isn’t a sign she is inconsistent in what she’s hoping for; it shows that regardless of the fact she seems to like your partner, she really doesn’t want to live with him. In my view, you should be putting her needs first here. This is all the more important given she is having to navigate complex health needs most of her peers do not have, and has already had an unsettled few years recently in terms multiple moves.

My reading of this is that she wants to stay living with you for now, but also is not wanting to hold you back if this is what you want, hence coming up with other options for herself should you choose to move in with your partner. Your daughter is a credit to you, and the best thing would be, through your actions, to offer her the same level of respect back.

I do not mean to imply you do not deserve a happy and fulfilling relationship and new start, but now is not the time to progress that through an imminent household reshuffle with a new partner, in my view.

LadySparrow · 11/09/2026 15:21

Far too soon to move in with a new partner.

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 15:20

HorseandHeron · 11/09/2026 15:16

Tbh, having read some other replies, I think people saying stay put have a point. It is early days with your partner. Why not say to her and to him that you'd like to wait a year and then start looking for a place together. By then you;ll know if you are truly compatible. She'll have had a year ot save hard and look for a suitable place. If either of them think this is unfair, then that's a red flag that they care more about their own happiness and convenience than yours, as that suggestion takes both of them into consideration.

I like this idea, thank you. I'm normally quite good at decisions but this one has stumpped me.

She doesn't want me to say anything to him yet as she wants to see what her options are but I'm seriously thinking of telling her that I'll give it longer. I might even say to him that I'm actually unsure if I'll be ready so soon into the relationship.

OP posts:
Fidgety31 · 11/09/2026 15:19

Your life sounds like it’s been chaotic and for your daughter too.
she is telling you she wants some stability .
listen to that! She may be 19 but she’s still your daughter . Don’t pick a new bloke over her .

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 15:16

ComtesseDeSpair · 11/09/2026 15:01

It’s a relatively new relationship and I can see DD’s concerns: if the relationship doesn’t work out you’ll both be moving yet again, and if you and she have spent a lot of her childhood moving from place to place she’ll be carrying a lot of anxiety about stability and security.

She’ll struggle to afford a house share if she only works part time currently. How feasible is her suggestion of living with her dad?

That's what I thought. She would have to pay £600 a month if she did this.

OP posts:
HorseandHeron · 11/09/2026 15:16

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 15:14

God I'm so torn here as it's nearly 50/50. My instinct is to stay alone with my daughter for longer. But I also agree with people saying I need to move on with my life and I'm not leaving her homeless. I am a litttle concerned it may be a bit soon for us as a couple though.

Thank you for all the constructive advice both ways.

Tbh, having read some other replies, I think people saying stay put have a point. It is early days with your partner. Why not say to her and to him that you'd like to wait a year and then start looking for a place together. By then you;ll know if you are truly compatible. She'll have had a year ot save hard and look for a suitable place. If either of them think this is unfair, then that's a red flag that they care more about their own happiness and convenience than yours, as that suggestion takes both of them into consideration.

Imonmyownhere · 11/09/2026 15:14

God I'm so torn here as it's nearly 50/50. My instinct is to stay alone with my daughter for longer. But I also agree with people saying I need to move on with my life and I'm not leaving her homeless. I am a litttle concerned it may be a bit soon for us as a couple though.

Thank you for all the constructive advice both ways.

OP posts:
Jellycatspyjamas · 11/09/2026 15:14

I would wait, give her the best chance of setting herself up. She’s only 20 and with a heart condition that limits her work and therefore her ability to earn. The relationship is only a year old, things can change and you’d be on the move again.

Is there a reason why you’re keen to move in so quickly?

HorseandHeron · 11/09/2026 15:09

The important thing, given her heart condition, is that you always provide a home for her should she need or want one, not that she has the right to dictate how long you live in your own home, or when you move in with your current partner.

Go ahead with the move. Maybe aim to find somewhere local, so she is near people and places that she has built a connection with, and can carry on working. If she doesn't agree, she can find a place to rent or move with you. Of course it is an upheaval, but she doesn't get to control your life choices at her own convenience.

rubixsphere · 11/09/2026 15:07

I think you should accommodate DD request. If you plan on spending the rest of your life with your partner what is it to wait a couple of years to ensure your daughter has the best start to an independent life. It would also be a good test of how understanding your partner is and accepting of the sacrfices a parent has to make for their DC at times.

AmberTigerEyes · 11/09/2026 15:07

rosiebr · 11/09/2026 14:59

I think I would just say that, whilst you appreciate that she doesn’t want to move again, there is no point you wasting money on rent when you and your partner would like to start to make some capital payments. It will take a while for your partners house to sell, but I would just set out the timeframe for her: partners house on market by X date, you will start to look at houses to purchase, and it will likely be X date that you will move into your purchased property. Remind her that the option of a room in your new home is open for her, but you won’t be continuing to waste money on rent because she wants to save.

How is it any better as OP will be paying towards her boyfriend’s mortgage instead of her landlord’s? She will have no ownership of the new house.

Comesround · 11/09/2026 15:06

I think it's very early to move in together and certainly not with your daughter. You can't possibly know him well enough.

Regarding the heart condition, it's clearly significant if she can only work part time. Unless there was a reason why it would be of benefit for her to live independently, given that your relationship is relatively new and your poorly daughter has known little stability, I would prioritise her needs at this time.

Sartre · 11/09/2026 15:05

It’s a brand new relationship which might not last. I wouldn’t be rushing to move in with him yet. Yes your DD is an adult so could move out and be independent but I equally think moving in with someone you’ve known less than a year is a bit nuts. I’d stay where you are for now. Why even rush to move in together? That’s when a relationship gets boring!

AmberTigerEyes · 11/09/2026 15:04

Yabu.
If he’s a good partner you 100% see a future with, he will be willing to wait for you to do right by your daughter. If he is at all against this, that’s a huge red flag.

Asmallburp · 11/09/2026 15:02

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Asmallburp · 11/09/2026 15:01

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