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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be thoroughly irritated with playing the 'poor relation' game

36 replies

ella47 · 20/07/2012 15:52

Don't know where to start but the constant 'pity me' game my brother is set on playing is driving me round the bend! He and his wife have no kids, both work (not full time and not at a staggering wage but more than enough not to qualify as on the breadline), both smoke and drink very regularly (yes, my judgey pants are freshly laundered) but never have any money and constantly whine about it.

SIL's parents pay about 80% of the rent on their flat out of sympathy for them 'having no money' and the landlord is crooked as anything and hasn't even declared there's people living there so they pay no council tax, so they should have more than enough to live on.

DP and I on the other hand have a 3yo, are finding it hard to find ft work and get a decent income, find it hard to make ends meet but still make sure we do it comfortably. Because of this we don't have a car, don't go on 'proper' holidays, don't buy a lot of luxuries/expensive clothes/booze/meals out and so can save a little (miniscule amount to be fair) to cover emergencies and have enough to cover all we need, and now and then a little of what we fancy.

DB & SIL on the other hand spend money the instant it hits their bank account. SIL got a reasonable payout from a legal matter (she's fine in case I sound heartless) which quickly went on a few of their debts but mostly on a holiday to America, a lot of clothes and nights out. They've run up large debts on credit cards for lots of nights out and jet off to Europe whenever they've got any cash. Yet DB is virtually always moaning about how poor they are, and how stressed and depressed he is because they're so poor. He seems to completely fail to see WHY that is and thinks I'm managing because I get tonnes of benefits! Any time they need to spend anything to do with family rather than themselves (birthdays, Xmas, just coming to see us) DB launches into a massive spiel about how he can't afford it, is so upset, wishes he could treat us etc etc.

For my dad's 60th he couldn't even afford to put in £20 for a meal that had been planned ages and was originally HIS idea and rather than just bow out or borrow the money (I offered) quietly he went on for a couple of days to my parents about how poor he was until they cancelled the whole thing Sad. More recently they spent out on a 3rd car (because they need one each and one is a massive 4x4 which guzzles petrol apparently) and then just a week later DB spent 90 mins on the phone to me whinging about one of his creditors taking him to court and how stressed he was about it.

I know these are only a couple of things but there's something like this regularly and it just grates on me so much. It's DB really, not SIL - ok she's creating the situation too but she keeps quiet about it, but DB has this permanent tragedy 'play' going on where he's such a victim because he's so poor and everyone has to be involved and pity him. If you even hint that he could take control and do something about it you're being unsympathetic and he'll go to the next family member who'll play along and agree you're being cruel.

I'm prepared to be told I'm being judgey and am jealous but can he not just grow up a bit? Oh and he's 7 years older than me so not a young student or anything. Without causing WW3 how do I make the point I'm fed-up with this game?

OP posts:
missingmumxox · 21/07/2012 02:54

you sound nicer than me, I had this with a family member a few years ago, constant moaning, he and dear wife on about what me and hubby earn, they had a far better standard of living than we did, dispite only 1 of them working.
I got the whole I'll hang myself thing then as well many times, one day when I was pre menstral, I answered "I am suprised you can afford the rope if this is the case, it's not cheap you know? then went on and on about funeral costs, my Dad had just died...
that was 8 years ago, they still play the poverty card with others, I hear the gossip, they rarely go down that line with me, sometimes they forget and start, I just talk through them, no pauses about how hard we are having it, no pauses, they soon shut up, well they have no choice, I am talking.
we are getting by, no holidays but managing well and I smoke.

Preparing · 21/07/2012 03:08

Where I used to live we have what I call 'competitive pooring'
Anyone can play
You just have to pepper any conversation with an anecdote alluding to how poor you are

You just have to ignore the stay at home (by choice) nature of the parent playing the game as well as the likely 500k property with only 100k on the mortgage

I find it very trying

Preparing · 21/07/2012 03:12

I also unfortunately have had a very sick dc (seriously ill months in hospital type sick)

My SIL insists just about every time I see her that nothing compares to her ds's single inhaler controlled never admitted viral induced bronchospasm and we have no idea what it is like to have an unwell child.

Thumbwitch · 21/07/2012 03:21

Holy god, Preparing - really? Your SIL is that insensitive? Shock
So sorry to hear about your own sick DC, by the way - hope they're getting better. :(

mathanxiety · 21/07/2012 03:23

How about this:

'DB: "I'm so skint this week"'

YOU: "No you're not."

OR: "Haha, nice try."

OR: "Skint? Hahaha."

OR: "That's too bad."

OR: "Sorry to hear that, Bro."

OR: "Really? I mean really ?"

Then Put The Phone Down.
There is no rule that says you have to keep on listening.

OR -- you could leave the phone down and walk away and let him moan on and on until he realises he's talking to himself....

Next time you pick it up and it's him ask him straight up if he's calling to tell you he's skint/moan about money and that if so you are going to hang up.
OR say -- "Let me guess, you're skint, right?"

Let your parents make fools of themselves with their own money.

You are not responsible for your DB or for them. You don't have to fix anyone's problems for them unless they specifically ask you to, and neither your parents nor your DB have asked you to.

Disengage. Laugh all the way to the bank.

mathanxiety · 21/07/2012 03:27

The response to the depression gambit is, 'mmm-hmmmm... Poor diddums', followed by putting the phone down. But don't let it get that far.

TandB · 21/07/2012 08:47

We once worked out a rough tally of what we knew our relatives had spent on luxury items over the last few years and it came to enough to have bought them a really nice house - 4 or 5 bedrooms detached type house.

And they constantly moan about how they are renting and can't afford a house.

Grr!

indiansummeranyone · 21/07/2012 09:11

Holyfishnets ''can I help you budget, I've had tons of practice on my small income" thats very good, I will suggest that next time MIL next mentions SIL and DBIL having to sell one of the horses.

OP, didnt mean to be flippant with the selling the horses comment, reading back it sounds a bit OTT, tho all true. Really do sympathise with you as DB seem to be very much part of your life. SIL and DBIL aren't part of ours, its just a connection with MIL so not quite the same thing, I know.

Good advice here tho, I like Littleprincessrocks, will definately be using that next time MIL comments thats it such a shame their ski lodge wont be used this year (Easyjet stopped flying to the local airport....boo hoo).

Mayisout · 21/07/2012 09:17

Don't try to change him because you can't but don't engage when he phones.
DB - I'm really skint and the bailiffs are threatening to come round next week and etc
YOu - Oh.
DB - more whinging
You - Oh.
DB - another whinge
You - Well, I'm in the middle of X so I need to be going.
If he doesn't get the chance to offload and raise a response he will stop doing it after a while. Yet you haven't fallen out with him so won't be labelled cruel and uncaring.

RandomMess · 21/07/2012 09:20

My ILs moan about not having any money despite earning more than us, we have more dc, we've never been holiday, they all have regularly. Including when they took DN to LapLand and we said we couldn't afford £500 for a 3 night trip for one of ours to go...

They are broke because they spend everything they have and won't go withouth Confused whereas we save up and wait until we can afford things!

marriedinwhite · 21/07/2012 10:57

One day, just one day:

MIL: Sil1 is so talented and clever.
Me: mmm
MIL: GS1 is so tall, GS2 is a bit like grandad, GD isn't much trouble.
Me: mmm
MIL: Sil1 does her best but things are different where they live
Me: mmm
MIL: It's hard to get help with dyslexia in the outback
Me: mmm - well she could take him to a bigger town
MIL: don't be silly, you know they haven't got much money and they
struggle
Me: mmm

One day, just one day, I will say "well they could both go to work and they could have both worked and put some money aside before they had children and frankly I don't know anyone else who lives in Australia who went to a Russell Group university who has a poorer quality of life than they would in the UK - not anyone who doesn't think they are too bloody special to go to work like everyone else anyway". Grrrrrrrrr - I feel better now.

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