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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to actually not get why SIL has stopped talking to us since DS was born

118 replies

Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 13:49

DH, his parents and his siblings are scattered across the globe. We used to be very very close to his sister. Regular calls, texts, emails and visits.

Since DS was born a year ago she wants nothing to do with us. We used to Skype her monthly and email more regularly than that, and we've heard nothing from her since DS was about 4 months old, aside from the occasional "like" of a picture I post on FB. I email her photos (copying in other family members, friends etc) and ask how she's going. She runs her own business which hasn't been doing so well over the past few years but she used to talk about it with us and we tried our best to support her. I would go in and help her out at work when I visited her.

She and her DP live the fab/hip/cool/edgy life in a trendy city. She's late 30s but has said she's not sure whether/when she will have kids, so I don't think she's jealous of us having DS or anything like that. A couple of her friends have had children recently and she slags them off a bit for moving to the suburbs/not wanting to come out anymore. I'm not a complete new-mum bore I think - I mean I do post photos fairly regularly on FB (2-3 times a month) and email more personal photos round to close family and friends including her. But I'm not one of those forever-updating-about-PFB-types.

When DS was very young we went back home and she came to visit us with her DP, but she spent most of the time working and not wanting to hold DS or do anything with him. She kept calling him "it" instead of his name and it was a bit annoying really. But overall it seemed like a good holiday, when she wasn't working we did get to do stuff together and it was fun. I just don't understand why she's so quiet now? I just can't get through to her. DMIL has said TBH it's just like what DSIL does to her - no replies to emails, calls are very rare (couple of times a year etc).

It makes me sad Sad and I have given up emailing her to set up Skype dates because she never gets back to me. She doesn't reply to DH's few emails either - although it's always been me that was the one setting up Skype dates etc. He's annoyed at her but is a bit like "that's just what DSIL is like". I don't only want to talk about DS to her and bore her with kid stuff, I want to hear about her life, what she's doing, her work, all the stuff we used to talk about. I am worried about her because from what I hear through DPILs her biz isn't going well and DH and I would like to just be there for her and listen, even from a distance.

AIBU to not understand this at all???? Or more precisely, is she BU or am I BU and should just expect this as part and parcel of having kids ie people don't feel like they have anything in common with you anymore? I know it's hard when you're separated by distance too, but I keep in touch with friends in other countries quite regularly (monthly/bi-monthly skypes etc) so it's not THAT hard....

OP posts:
BeaLola · 02/10/2013 18:32

It could be anything.

What comes to me through your posts is that you love her, want to be there for her and miss her friendship.

I have probably missed the right post but if possible why not call her , no email, no text but a phone call AND apart from saying we're all ok this end tell her you miss chatting to her hence the call And what is new your end DSIL ? Try not to mention DS and kep it girly about you & her. Thats what i would do.

Iwaswatchingthat · 02/10/2013 18:33

I used to pretend I was not fussed about having kids when I was desperately trying to conceive inc fertility treatment. I did not want to be pitied. Your SIL might be doing the same and finding it painful.

Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 19:36

Of course it is possible that I'm a baby bore - every new parent is at risk of that! But TBH based on the relationships I have with others who don't have kids - I would say I'm average or less on the baby chat scale. I save my baby blather for other friends with kids! I love the whole baby scene but if you're not into it you get a glazed over response.

Also I used to send/FB her the same amount of pics before pregnancy - more in fact. Now DS is in them all the time cos errrrr well he's there all the time.

It's not like we had a standard IL relationship beforehand. We were very very close. I used to fly to visit her on my own, no DH. When she threw out her ex-P I was the first one she called, even though we were on opposite sides of the planet. We were like real sisters.

How would you feel if your sister just stopped talking to you Sad

Maybe I said something wrong to her but if I did I don't know what it is.

I can understand biz woes, depression, wanting time out, fertility issues, longing for child - but just stopping contact because someone has a child?? That would be quite sad, frankly. Everyone was a child once!

OP posts:
Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 19:38

None of my other friends who don't have kids and have no interest in them yet/ever have stopped talking to me. If they had I would take the hint!!!

OP posts:
Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 19:41

Sorry not trying to make out like there's no way I could be a baby bore. It's just that if ppl say, "leave her alone, she's clearly not interested" - that's like saying if your DP/best friend just stopped talking to you with no explanation and ppl said "oh just leave them alone"

OP posts:
Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 19:43

Anyway DH is going to send her a cheery email. He thinks that will be better than a call as a call might come across as SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG. At least in terms of how we normally chat with each other!

OP posts:
LittlePeaPod · 02/10/2013 19:45

Not everyone has a child once Op and I know its hard to understand unless you are one of those people that just aren't baby friendly. But there are people out there like that, I am one of them although I have slightly improved. Prior I had utterly no interest at all in anything baby related. I am 37 and I have never changed a nappy, fed a baby and I can probably count a dozen times I have held a baby. Bearing in mind I have 3 nieces and 1 nephew whom I dearly love. Its just never been my thing up until I fell pregnant.

Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 19:51

I mean littlepeapod everyone WAS physically a child once... Unless there is a new way of spawning adults I haven't heard about!

What I mean is that they're fellow human beings.

I never asked her to change a nappy once when she visited, honestly! Most of the chat about parenting when we had it was about new perspectives, gender roles etc and ideas on how to lose the copious baby weight I gained.

Sorry just trying to show I'm not all "stare into my PFB's genius eyes" etc. or maybe I was to a non-parent. Sigh. Sad

OP posts:
cjel · 02/10/2013 19:56

Hello Zara, I'm not suggesting you are a baby bore(i'm a grandmother to 5 so if you are I could give you a run for your money!!) but to someone who may be consumed with fertility problems even saying your babys name could seem like a bore?
I'd try and keep your regular contact but try and not even mention dc unless she does and see if that changes anything?x

FantasticMax · 02/10/2013 19:56

I'm not convinced it's fertility issues, but perhaps she has realised how much your lives have changed and as she's not that interested in babies, she's not that interested in you right now. TBH, I think 2-3 pics a month on FB is a lot, as well as emailed photos on top. To a person that isn't interested in babies (even related babies!) that will just be irritating. Also, if she's working a lot to keep things afloat she may not simply have the time or energy to get in contact with you as regularly as you'd like.

I'm sorry her behaviour is hurting you though. Let your DH make contact and then let her make the next move. The constant rejection will only make you more bitter about how little effort she is making.

Oriunda · 02/10/2013 19:58

OP, judging by the number of times you have responded on this thread, it seems you are incapable of leaving this alone (and I mean this in a nice way). If this is an indication of how you are with your SIL, you really need to back off and give her some space. People on this thread are suggesting you back off and leave her alone for a bit, because it's quite possible that your refusal to accept, for whatever reason, your SIL's lack of contact, is just annoying your SIL even more. For some reason, which may or may not have anything to do with you/DS, she is in her cave needing space. One call maybe at most to check she is ok, but after that, leave it be.

LittlePeaPod · 02/10/2013 19:58

Ahh sorry I miss read your post on the child. Hopefully once your DH emails her you may find out the real reason. I wouldn't get too worried about our thoughts. We are all expressing conjecture.

I really hope you can resolve it. It would be a shame to lose what sounds to have been a great friendship. I was lucky my friends/family know me well enough not to get offended and they also knew they could tell me straight when I got really bad.

Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 20:03

Sorry all for posting lots I just wanted to get advice. It's really made me sad and not at all what I expected. I haven't emailed her directly since the start of August (aside from group photo emails) cos I thought I'd just leave it for a bit.

Anyway yes hopefully DH will get a response that clarifies things a bit. We have no choice after that but to just leave it completely due to the distances involved, with the ball in her court.

OP posts:
Zara1984 · 02/10/2013 20:03

Thanks everyone x

OP posts:
cjel · 02/10/2013 20:26

I'd still be tempted to send email updates even if you have no reply, who knows she may get so fed up with them she'll tell you why!!!

AintNobodyGotTimeFurThat · 02/10/2013 20:50

I instantly thought fertility issues too.

One of my friends wouldn't talk to me for about 4 months because I got pregnant and he and his partner were at the time not managing to conceive.

She is pregnant now though so he's going to have a little girl in the new year so it's fine now but he couldn't bare talking to me about babies when he thought he couldn't have his own with his wife [he did go for checks and so did she. What he didn't realise was, so did my partner and I the year before].

PresidentServalan · 02/10/2013 21:13

You can't help the way you feel about this, but neither can she. If I were you, I would hold off emailing her pics etc even if they are group emails. I know you mean well but she obviously doesn't want to get involved in this new phase of your life and I think you need to respect that and give her space.

YouAreMyFavouriteWasteOfTime · 03/10/2013 08:15

OP I email her photos (copying in other family members, friends etc) and ask how she's going

do you mean you email her and cc other relatives? or email a group of people?

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