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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to refuse to move house - again...

56 replies

Oakmaiden · 11/08/2014 17:10

The crux of the matter is this: We live in city A, and dh's office is relocating to city B. This will mean we either move to city B, or dh will have a 3 hour (1 1/2 hour each way) commute every day. Put quite simply - I don't want to move house, but I worry that this means I am committing him to a greatly extended working day, and that he will resent it.

Now for the longer version of the story, complete with several years worth pof back story (in the name of not drip feeding - please feel free to skip this bit if I am going on a bit!)

My husband was offered a job in City A following a redundancy and 2 years out of work. At that point I left my (not very well paid) job and the entire family moved to a town close to City A - this was a significant move to a different country, and so was a huge wrench for all of us. We were not in a position to buy a property, and so rented. During this time our 2 youngest children attended a school in City A, and I went to university there.

After 3 years (one year ago now) our landlord wanted to sell the house we lived in, and so we moved into City A. This has worked so well for the past year - we are close enough to dh's work that he can cycle in, we are just around the corner from the children's school, and our eldest has a place starting at the local 6th form in September. As for myself, I have over the past 4 years forged some links with the area - although I have yet to find a permanent job, I have been working as a supply teacher in the city for the past year and have build up a fairly secure network for myself, as well as several social ties. The street we have moved to has several children the same ages as my youngest two, and for the first time in their lives they are in the position of having children call to ask them over to play and vice versa. Middle child is looking forward to moving up to secondary next year, where she will be in the same school as the children she plays with at home. All in all, with the exception of my not having a permanent job, it is pretty perfect.

However, my husband's office are now moving to City B. We have to decide, in the next couple of weeks, whether to take the company's relocation package, or to suck up the commute. And I am worried that my reasons for not wanting to move (see above) are quite selfish when it isn't me who will be doing the commute. In honesty, the commute will make things more difficult for me too - dh will no longer be able to help out with any of the school runs, which in turn will reduce the areas I can accept work. Furthermore, I can forsee that the help I get in the house from him will reduce to pretty much nothing, because of his extended day and the children will see a lot less of him too. However, the alternative - us moving - would potentially make it easier for me to find a permanent post (there do seem to be more posts advertised in City B) but would hugely impact the children and, not to put it too finely, my social life, such as it is. Not to mention I love the house we are in a the moment (although it is rented) and I quite simply don't want to move.

Am I being unreasonable to just say "No, I don't want to", even though the negative impacts of my saying so affect him more than me?

Sorry this is so long!

OP posts:
BoomBoomsCousin · 12/08/2014 11:22

A commute by train is a lot easier than a commute by car. And if your children have had four schools in the last 6 years there education has taken a serious hit already, it isn't that surprising your DS will possibly fail his GCSEs. I really think your DH should suck it up for their sakes.

How young is your youngest? Should your DH maybe start looking at a career change? It's possible his line of work isn't really compatible with family life.

MrsStatham · 12/08/2014 11:23

A 90 minute commute is the norm round here.

bigkidsdidit · 12/08/2014 11:26

I wouldn't move. Stability f education is so important for children IMO and having friends in the area etc. his happiness is not more important than that of the four other people in the family.

stinkingbishop · 12/08/2014 11:29

Sorry, dashing out, so no time to read the whole thread.

We're in a similar position so feel your pain! DP is thinking of taking a job at the other end of the country, and I am dithering, and my DCs aren't even at school yet! But similar reasons re me eg starting back at Uni, have made links, so nice, finally, after multiple moves, to have somewhere where there seems a point to planting daffodils...

We're going to try, for a year, him working down there for 4 days a week, and then 1 day a week from home. We're lucky in that friends have a large house with a basement in the city he'll work in, so he'll rent that for mates' rates from Mon-Thurs. And we'll see at the end of the year what impact it's had on him, our relationship, his relationship with the DCs, how we both cope with lots of solitary time, whether we make the weekends count or it just becomes chores...and then we'll decide whether the job or the location need to change.

Could you do anything remotely similar? With the kids' school stages, they'd probably have to stay for the year anyway?

Ketchuphidestheburntbits · 12/08/2014 11:38

With the ages that your DC are I wouldn't move as it could impact their education. I know several adults who moved regularly as children and they either have few friends from their childhood or have repeated the pattern as adults by being unable to settle anywhere longterm or put down permanent roots.

MyFirstName · 12/08/2014 11:38

I am a primary school governor. A child moving into a school at year 6 is something we look at seriously wrt their performance. It is an unsettling year to move. Unsettling to settle in just as everyone else is getting ready to move on iyswim. It is (was) SATs year. It would be a reason why SATs/ performance was down in a particular year ("We had 4 children new in Yr 6").

It may not affect your DC at all. It does not affect all Yr6 children who move. It is a known statistical "thing" in the performance graphs though.

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