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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU about how often my parents see their grandson

34 replies

Hobbes39 · 28/01/2017 21:36

We live about 45 mins from my parents, and about 7 hours from my DH's parents. I take my 3.5 year old DS to see my parents around every 2-3 weeks. They sometimes come out to us to do very occasional babysitting (I can count on one hand how often) and while I asked when I was pregnant (and we lived closer) if they wanted to look after their grandchild one day a week, they said no thanks - which was fine as I know it's a big commitment.
Anyway, they regularly get upset about not seeing my DS enough... I feel they should be grateful they see him as often as they do as I had to convince my DH to live nearer them than his parents, so it could easily have been just holidays... AIBU? Should I be making an effort to take my DS to see them more? I work 4 days a week, DS in nursery when I work. Thanks x

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Hobbes39 · 28/01/2017 23:26

This is going to sound mad, but pineapple - what you've said just made me realise what is bothering me so much about it - 'I'm not responsible for their happiness'. That's exactly what my Dad does make me feel like, and tbh how I have felt for a long time since my mum first became unwell (she had a breakdown when I was 14) as she often made me feel it was my fault. I've just realised that what is niggling at me is that I don't want this heavy sense of responsibility to pass down to my lovely DS.. while he's only young at the moment, so unaware, as he gets older he's not daft and quite perceptive for his age, so i worry if he's seen as this cure to my Ms gloom.... 😞

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Hobbes39 · 28/01/2017 23:29

Oh and Wineto you re your parents visiting! X

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Lolodizzyone · 28/01/2017 23:29

Aww hon you are so not being unreasonable. I think you should do what's best for you. I didn't have much family support with my children so try really hard to support my kids. I work full time but changed my hours so I can puvk them up from nursery and school. I have them to sleep over every week. I buy clothes and toys etc and see them every day bar one when their spouse is off so I'm not being intrusive.
You need to think about you, big hugs xx

phoe6e · 28/01/2017 23:32

Oh gawd my in laws are like this. Moan that they never see us, live 20 minutes away, retired, do they ever come here? No! They sit there on their bloody thrones waiting to be visited. Fuck off

AmeliaJack · 28/01/2017 23:36

We live an hour from DH's parents and see them every week (we both work full time).

They still don't think it's enough and the odd weekend that we can't see them turns into a guilt trip.

They regularly talk about moving to our town. I'm sure that they would expect to see us every day. This wouldn't work for us at all...

GoodLuckTime · 28/01/2017 23:36

Hmm quite possibly. Think gc represent all kinds of redemption / replacement for many GPs. Especially grandmothers.

I can relate to your feeling op. My mum and I had a very co-dependent / enmeshed relationship until I git some therapy in my 20s and changed it. She would like me to be responsible for her happiness. She (then) also revelled in my misery (lonely, unsuccessful love life) as it reflected back her own.

I've stepped out of all that now, and keep my distance when things are tough.

It's true, you are not responsible for their happiness. They might try to make you, but you have every right to give it back to them.

Though if they're anything like mind, you'll have to keep doing so.

Over
And over
And over

Meditate on all this a bit. Find some anger?

I am actually pissed off my mum is too wrapped up in herself to be a discreet support through our ivf.

She's not. And that's ok, I can get my support elsewhere. But it makes it easier not to get guilted into dancing to her tune.

Thanks for the good luck wishes! I chose my name well. You too xx

Hobbes39 · 28/01/2017 23:52

Amelia- oh god - once a week still not enough? How the hell do you fit anything else in? I suspect if we did move further away my Ps would consider moving closer again... if they moved to the same town I think it would send my DH insane as much if not more than me!
GoodLuck - that's interesting what you've said - I too am sad that I can't have my mum's support thru ivf. We actually had an ectopic pregnancy last year which I initially thought was just a miscarriage and that happened to start the morning of one of the few times my M had come to visit. I was a state and so felt I had to tell her as I didn't have the energy to lie. I then spent the next few weeks comforting her about it....🙄 so not what I needed. We are soon going to be going through another round of IVF and so I think my patience with them is a little thin...

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GoodLuckTime · 29/01/2017 00:31

Op I'm finding chatting really useful. I have considered telling my mum about our ivf. A friend and the counsellor I'm seeing now have also suggest, that it could be healing, bonding etc.

But hearing your description of your mums reaction to you eptopic sounds so very familiar. I just know she'd react that way too.

One thing I do try to do is play up the things we do bond over. So one of my mums narratives is that life is always very stressful and difficult. I actually love the balance we have, me working 4 days etc. But mum assumes that's all very stressful and tough. Sometimes I can get her to disinvite or say no to herself by playing up to that. (Though she's also get jealous if, say, I cancel a visit because DD is ill).

She is also my no 1 place to vent and bitch about Dhs parents (who have a different set of control issues). She LOVES that, laps it up, can Rasputin ever self she's the better GP. And I get to get it all off my chest!

So she feels like I do confide in her on some things, and she can support etc. She needs to be needed. So I try to pick and choose the things that work for me so she's can feel good about them.

You mentioned the affect on your ds. I don't think you need to worry. You'll be much more influential in his life. As he gets older you can be honest with him on some of these dynamics in a age appropriate way. PIL try to manipulate DD outrageously and already she is not having it. It's quite funny to watch. And it doesn't build the close relationship, rather makes her distance herself, but that's their problem.

I did a therapy workshop for myself a while ago when DD was about 18 months. Everyone there was dealing with issues for their parents. Mostly their mothers. I spoke to the therapist about it and asked her advice, saying that as the mother of a young child it was sad to see how wrong it could go, and did she have any advice for plotting a better course. Her reply was 'the best advice I can give you is to work on yourself, and resolve your own issues as best you can. Trouble comes when you don't, the issues don't go away, they get perpetuated.'

I think it's true that the biggest issues with DD are usually not about her, so much as me and my reaction. So I work at examining myself, when things are hard, to figure out what it's triggering in me and what I need to change in myself.

Many in the generation of our mothers have never done this, or would dream to. And they've lived through a time of enormous societal change, where the rules and expectations have changed a lot.

But we can break that cycle.

Have you ever had any therapy? Might be worth considering to help you get to a better place with some of this stuff...

Hobbes39 · 29/01/2017 21:17

GoodLuck - are you in the midst of ivf now, or is it upcoming? If you aren't already on it, I found the cycle buddies thread really helpful first time round, everyone was brilliant and it def made up for not having RL support from many people.
Regarding the GP thing, I do that too with my Ps I tell them stuff that probably makes them feel I'm confiding a bit, but I'm not really. For me it's easier not to really confide in them as they both are v judgemental imo, and I often silently disagree with them...

I hope you are right that my DS will be able to cope with them ok... I haven't had any therapy to help with how I feel about my parents, I usually feel I cope ok with it all, but maybe it would help as I do get frustrated with it more than I should - I think partly cos I do care about them, a lot, I just find them v over demanding and get frustrated that I'm almost 40 and they still feel they have some sort of right to tell me what to do... 🙄

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