Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

WWYD - sibling feels entitled to DPs time

151 replies

hatchbackofnotredame · 06/03/2017 09:01

NC for this, but regular.

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but don't want to dripfeed so a bit of background is needed.

Sister is childless, recently bought her first house with her longterm partner, having lived at home to that point. She has mild anxiety and depression, but both she and her partner hold down well-paid graduate jobs. Despite owning her own home (which is beautiful) for 2 years, she still lives with my parents at weekends, including taking her washing there for them to do. She also spends all her annual leave there (she has literally never had a holiday elsewhere). She is 37.

Recently, due to a scheduling conflict, my parents pulled out of an arrangement to see Dsis and her partner for a week of annual leave. They didn't communicate this well to Dsis, and left it to the last minute to tell her, which was understandably upsetting for her.

However, Dsis is now refusing to speak to, or contact, our parents and says she feels that they have shown her "disrespect". (While I feel that they could have given her more notice, I disagree that they intended to show a lack of respect by it). She is accusing them of deliberately depriving her of any possibility of having a nice week off, because she can't possibly take time off in her own home with her partner and still enjoy it. Therefore, they have "ruined" her holiday and she can't forgive them for depriving her of "precious downtime".

What concerns me most is that she takes the position, and I quote, that our parents' refusal to have her over for the week means that they are "in dictating mode and there is very little that is less helpful that people telling you they know what you need better than you yourself do". In other words, she TOLD my parents she needed a week off with them, and they dared to suggest they had other things to do and that she really should get more used to spending annual leave with her partner alone. My sister thinks this is absolutely outrageous and that they owe her a nice time on her week off. There is no room her for my parents to have their own independent desires.

Important bit of context: my position to date has been to stand clear of this relationship and to let them all get on with it. I have, however, become quite concerned about things since my DM has significant MH issues and there have been hints that these are being (unwittingly or deliberately) exploited. In particular, my mother finds it very hard to say "no" (due to an abusive childhood) by herself, so it's incredibly difficult for her to set boundaries. What happens repeatedly is that my sister insists that there is a medical reason for her to get what she wants: she must have their company on a certain date because of her anxiety, they must do her washing because of her depression etc. Now it has become that my mother is "damaging her" by denying her the opportunity to have the annual leave she wants. My Mum has said explicitly she doesn't want to do these things like extra washing (she and my Dad are in their late 60s and both are cancer survivors), but she feels guilted into them.

I just don't know what to do. Part of me thinks I should continue to stay out of this as a toxic situation that is between them. Another part desperately wants to support and protect my parents, because I feel this is now reaching a point of entitlement/potential exploitation where it is becoming almost a mild form of abuse. WWYD?

OP posts:
hatchbackofnotredame · 06/03/2017 09:57

Oh and no, no learning difficulties. She is spectacularly clever and has a very high grade of degree and MA.

OP posts:
hatchbackofnotredame · 06/03/2017 09:57

(Apologies, that came over like I think people who have learning difficulties aren't clever - I know several that are borderline geniuses. I meant rather than she finds all aspects of academic work come easily, without any impediment).

OP posts:
gamerchick · 06/03/2017 09:59

I think I would just support the parents. They've taken the first step towards knocking all this on the head, they could probably do with bolstering a bit.

I agree with a PP, they've told her last minute to avoid weeks of abuse.. clever of them in that respect.

BarbarianMum · 06/03/2017 09:59

And what a convenient ld that allows a person to hold down a professional job but leaves them strangely unable to work a washing machine Hmm I've heard wives say their husbands suffer the same but it sounds like unmitigated bullshit to me.

OnionKnight · 06/03/2017 10:00

I'd give it to her both barrels, if she doesn't like it it's no great loss to you.

incredibule · 06/03/2017 10:02

Ha! My DS is like this (anxious, controlling, bullying) and can't stand being told no, so it makes me do it more often. The silences are bliss. Smile

flippinada · 06/03/2017 10:04

This sounds like an incredibly dysfunctional situation, but I'm sure you already know that. Why on earth haven't your DPs told her to stop being so ridiculous?

May I ask if your sister has ever been diagnosed with MHI by an HP or sought professional help? This sounds an awful lot more than slight anxiety and depression.

Kiroro · 06/03/2017 10:04

At the very least you need to stop indulging her when she talks about your parents being disrespectful to her, ruining her time off, depriving her of relaxation, blah blah. Why are you even listening to that shit?

Do you ever stand up for your parents?

SuperTrumper · 06/03/2017 10:06

I think I would keep out of it and tell your parents to ignore her until she realises how unreasonable she's being and apologises. She herself has said that "they won't be around forever" - she needs to take a page out of her own book and stop being so ridiculous then.
I think it's a great time (if your parents can afford to) for your mum and dad to announce they are going travelling for a few months!

ChicRock · 06/03/2017 10:07

So you're leaning more towards "do nothing", because that strategy has worked well so far Hmm

My sibling would get a rocket up their arse if they dared treat my parents like this.

DJBaggySmalls · 06/03/2017 10:08

Support your parents and stop walking on eggshells around her. Thats a choice you make, she doesnt make you do it. You do have a choice about how to react to her. When she kicks off have a stock phrase handy that fobs her off and just repeat it.
It gets easier with practice, and it gets easier when you stop worrying about how she will react and start thinking about what you want from the relationship.

gamerchick · 06/03/2017 10:09

That's a good point, if everyone keeps huffing her... keep her in a permanent strop then it's peace and quiet all round.

BaDumShh · 06/03/2017 10:13

What happens where your parents aren't around any more? She will move onto the next available person to be her weekend babysitter, which I'm guessing will be you!

This is way more than anxiety and depression.

PoohBearsHole · 06/03/2017 10:13

She sounds more like a spoilt brat that has been used to getting her own way Sad

I would support your parents and if she has the nerve to tell you to wind your neck in again I would really go at her. Why would you want to have a relationship with someone who is so blatantly disrespectful and who you have to walk on eggshells around? By supporting your parents the ball is back in her court to get a working relationship with everyone, you never know it might give her a swift kick up the arse!

Otherwise I'm not really helping am I? Grin

If there were some form of LD involved that haven't been diagnosed, there is still no reason to walk on eggshells - there are many people with LD that know how to behave, it would be disrespectful to say that they don't/can't know how to behave with manners and if she is as high functioning as she obviously is, she should learn it as a life skill. However you say she doesn't have them so you do with the anxiety issues - again these are never going to go away with people allowing her behaviour. It just sounds like endless excuses for shitty behaviour from you DSIS rather than anything concrete. I may sound mean and I am sure there are some issues but surely part of having issues is being able to try and gain coping skills?

Really good luck, apologies if I haven't written it in the way it is sitting in my head - all of this is not meant to be rude or doubtful of the problems she has but if she refuses therapy then she can't see that there is much wrong with her stance in life so it makes me wonder if the anxiety issues are just an excuse Sad

honeyroar · 06/03/2017 10:15

You all need to tell her to grow up and stop behaving like a spoilt child. And tell her if she wants to sulk she loses out on you all, it's her choice.

hatchbackofnotredame · 06/03/2017 10:15

Hopefully I already answered the question about what happens when I tackled it in the past, but to give a bit more detail: she is the kind of person who will go absolutely nuclear on anyone who gives her any kind of advice. When I did raise this, a few years ago - and please believe me when I say I tried to do it gently as well as firmly - I was told in heated terms that it was none of my business, that I had no right to an opinion on her life, that I needed to fuck off etc. She also said that I was making her anxiety way worse and contributing to the problem. Our relationship hasn't really been good since this incident, which was a long time ago now.

OP posts:
Deux · 06/03/2017 10:16

I think you've realised that this is a bit of a tipping point. As well as talking to your parents I'd be inclined to tell your sister how it really is. That at 37 and financially independent she should stop being such a baby and look after herself.

If this was someone posting about this kind of controlling behaviour from a partner there would be a chorus of LTB, he's narcissistic, this is an abusive relationship, this is coercive control.

As other posters have said your sister's mental health is maybe more fragile than it seems. Then again she might just be a manipulative, controlling abuser.

Kiroro · 06/03/2017 10:17

I was told in heated terms that it was none of my business, that I had no right to an opinion on her life, that I needed to fuck off etc. She also said that I was making her anxiety way worse and contributing to the problem. Our relationship hasn't really been good since this incident, which was a long time ago now.

So you kinda have nothing to loose? She is not a good sister or friend to you.

Deux · 06/03/2017 10:17

You do have a right to speak out as they are your parents too and are clearly being affected.

ChicRock · 06/03/2017 10:19

As other posters have said your sister's mental health is maybe more fragile than it seems. Then again she might just be a manipulative, controlling abuser

Or both - the two aren't mutually exclusive.

Deux · 06/03/2017 10:22

Yes, very true.

DoubleR · 06/03/2017 10:27

What does she think will happen when your parents aren't around anymore? Do you think she's expecting you to take up their 'responsibilities' for her? If so you might want to get the situation sorted out sooner rather than later for your own sake too.

Reow · 06/03/2017 10:29

I think you're right. Support your parents as much as possible and let them know that you are there if they need you, and stay away from her.

She sounds like a selfish manipulative brat.

Fakenewsday · 06/03/2017 10:30

it sounds like your mum is being abused by her adult DD to me, and she's finally put up a half hearted boundary by doing a disappearing act - encourage her. Back her to do this everytime she gets an unreasonable request from your sister. Oh something's come up I can't do your washing this week because the cat's sick etc. Every lame excuse. If your toddler-adult sister wants to sulk I agree, let her! She sounds lazy. She's too anxious to do her washing, can't use her money from her job to pay a laundrette? For shame.

KarmaKit · 06/03/2017 10:33

You say she thinks it's normal - where has she got this idea from? She obviously knows you don't do it - I imagine if you "booked" some time with your parents that coincided with "her" time she would take it very badly.