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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Very long but OMG I need help

70 replies

Anoah · 02/04/2007 16:00

Arghhhhh.

I really really need some advice. Basically DH and his asshole free-loading younger brother are making my life a living hell in my own home. I work a very stressful job, I have 3 children under the age of 6. My 6 year old DS is autistic. I am 3000 miles from home and have no family or friends in the UK which is DH's home country. I want to hop on a plane and take my kids back to the USA.

There is a high paying job with top notch private medical care paid for by my employer, a beautiful house and a warm, loving extended family waiting there for me. But if I hop on a plane and take my babies out of the country without Dh's permission it is kidnapping. I will go to jail. So basically I am stuck. It is very hard to get your children out of the country if their father doesn't want you too. I don't want to take the kids away from their dad but I sure as hell cannot stay in this situation any longer. This has become a hell house.

I really need to know if I am being unreasonable and if any of you have any advice.

My DH has always been a dickhead but it has got a lot worse since his mum died two years ago. My brother feels very responsible for his younger brother now that their mum is gone. BILFH (brother in law from hell) is 24 years old and 15 years younger than DH. When MIL was dying of cancer brother in law was age 21. He lived in her house and refused to help her or work very often because he "didn't want too". Two weeks before she died she could hardly feed herself yet she was trying to iron's BILFH's clothes and tidy his room. I really hate the little bastard. DH thought it would be "unreasonable" of me to tell him off. I blamed MIL for being a doormat and kept my mouth shut.

In February 2006, after working very hard and saving every penny, DH and I bought a lovely 4 bedroom house. The WEEK we moved in to this house so did BILFH. I protested, I said no way can he move in. DH and BILFH ignored me. They moved BILFH into bedroom 4. Then they packed bedroom 3 full of BILFH's and DH's junk. My two young children (different sexes) were crammed into bedroom 2 and myself and DH and 18 month old baby shared bedroom one. I worked very hard for this house so we could have some space. Now I am sharing a bedroom with an 18 month old and I am pissed off. I also lost the cellar that I had planned to turn into a utility room, gym and storage area to BILFH's belongings.

I told BILFH that I didn't want him here, even if he was paying rent for his room. He said that he is staying as long as DH says he can. BILFH also said that it would be stupid for him to rent a flat and pay out for that when he could crash at my house for less money. He and his fat ass whore girlfriend are trying to save up to buy a house and didn't want to pay out for rent ona flat.

BILFH doesn't work very much and was (on a daily basis) bring really strange lads into my house, trampling mud up the stairs and just generally freaking me out. I asked DH and BILFH to put a stop to these strange men being brought into my home around my kids. DH said "No" and "fuck off" and BILFH said he can do what he wants. DH was kind enough to remind me that BILFH has "rights" as a tenant and can bring whomever he wants into the house whenever whether I like it or not. Ummm. Okay. Do I have any fucking rights as a homeowner who is working her ass off to pay the mortgage? Apparantly not.

BILFH refused to help out with any housework, including cleaning his own room, or help out with the kids. He would use every dish of mine and leave them up in his room filthy. Maybe after about a month he would bring the pile down and do a half ass job of washing them.

BILFH's girlfriend FAW (fat ass whore ) stayed over every night (she has a rented room of her own across town), made a fucking mess, ate my food, and refused to help out around the house. When I complained to DH he again reminded me about BILFH's right's as a tenant. BILFH has the right to bring people in the house if he is paying for the room. Asshole.

Well let's see now where did this all go? Living in a foreign country, having 3 young children (one autistic), and working a very stressful job where I swich between days and nights and work 15 hour shifts with life and death responsibility, and having no family support this side of the Atlantic started to get to me. This combined with strange lads being brought into the house, having no privacy in my own home and the house being a disgrace because of all the mud getting tracked in really got me down. DH and BILFH told me that if I am feeling upset it is because I am crazy and can't cope as a mother.

At this point I was begging DH to kick BILFH out on a daily basis. BILFH knew this but refused to go until he got around to buying a house when it is convienent for him.

So I decided to go on strike. I stopped doing the housework except for necessary things to keep the kids safe. I started smoking cigarettes more. I started yelling and swearing at DH and BILFH a lot.

After a year in March 2007 BILFH got sick of me swearing at him and went to live with girlfriend FAW. The day after BILFH moved out, BILFH and FAW phoned social services and told them that I curse in front of the kids, that I ignore my children to smoke cigarettes, and that the house is a tip. The house was a tip at that time but the rest is bullshit.

I did NOT get into any trouble with social services because basically they could tell that BILFH is an asshole. They had to come out anyway though. My kids were clean and happy and so was the house. My kids have never been injured or been to A&E. Anyway, there was no sign that I was doing anything wrong as a mother and it was obvious to them that BILFH was just being a dick. He recorded me on his phone shouting at him to "prove" to social services that I am "unstable". Social services basically told him to fuck off. LOL.

That was nice but here is my problem. BILFH may have left but all of his belongings are still here taking up space and he is refusing to move them. He does not have anywhere to put them and doesn't want to pay for a flat or a storage unit somewhere. There is no room at FAW's. DH is refusing to make BILFH move his stuff out. They have told me that if I try to get that stuff moved or touch any of BILFH's belongings they will call the cops for damaging BILFH's property.

Oh yeah and if I try to leave, or take the kids anywhere or try and throw DH out as well the 3 of them will call social services and tell them that I am an unfit mother. I am not really worried about that since it's not true but still.....it's their word against mine. The 3 of them. DH will fight for custody of the kids and will do everything in his power to show that I am an "unfit" mother. I am a foreigner here and he is British so I imagine that the law would be on his side?

They emotionally abused their own mother it's not surprising that I am having to take this kind of shit now.

Am I being unreasonable to get this upset?

What can I do?

Help.

Rant over.

OP posts:
Anoah · 02/04/2007 16:04

I just wanted to add that yes, they are still threatening to go to social services about me again, even though they did it once as revenge and social services could see right through them. Still, it freaks me out.

OP posts:
emkana · 02/04/2007 16:06

Blimey.

Sounds like you are in a really awful situation there. I don't think your husband deserves that d in dh!

How about if you go and get some proper legal advice about what you can and can't do? There must be some way out of this. Also, why not be proactive and contact social services yourself and discuss things with them.

Get as much advice as you can from people who really know.

I wish you luck.

Carmenere · 02/04/2007 16:06

Get away from them asap. You cannot bring up children in that type of atmosphere. They will think that treating their mother like shit is acceptable. I would be tempted to change the locks. Do you still want your husband in your life?

Carmenere · 02/04/2007 16:08

Yes Emkana is right, go to the citizens advice bureau and find out what your rights are. And you do have rights btw. They can't just run roughshod over you because they feel like it.

GameGirly · 02/04/2007 16:09

God, I'm so sorry Anoah. I have no idea how to help you, though. You're certainly not unreasonable. I'm not sure where the law stands on throwing all his stuff into the nearest river.

Taylormamaloveslindtbunnies · 02/04/2007 16:09

have to agree with PP - go to the CAB and they can give you free advice and they can also recommend law centres. Do you want to stay with your DH or not ... it sounds like you have had a rough time ...

lulumama · 02/04/2007 16:10

is the house in your name?

if the BILFH has a tenancy agreement or contract, then give him notice

and your H too, as he sounds like a selfish man, who thinks more of his bro than you and the kids

at 24 , i was married, with a child, a mortgage and a job, your BILFH needs a short sharp shock, for as long as he is living with you , with your H looking out for him , he does not need to do anyhting

sling out the lot of them , and have a lovely peaceful life in your home with the kids

Anoah · 02/04/2007 16:10

No I want DH gone and I want to go home with my babies. I just don't know how to do it. DH has been physically abusive as well but they stuff they are threatening me with if I try anything is quite scary. I just don't want to have to go back to the states without my kids.

OP posts:
Molesworth · 02/04/2007 16:10

omg what a complete nightmare

get legal advice ASAP is my first thought

I would do whatever it took to get a bastard like that out of my and my kids' lives

Taylormamaloveslindtbunnies · 02/04/2007 16:11

so ... you know what you want to do, it is how to do it. You need to speak to a solicitor ASAP - see if you can bar DH from marital home as he has been abusive - Good luck!

cathcart · 02/04/2007 16:11

oh god, poor you!!!
I don't really have any advice, i'm sorry, but perhaps it could be a good first step to get somewhere for you and your dc's in this country while you sort yourself out. I know that you really want to go back home but at least this would get you out of your immediate situation and give you some space.

Anoah · 02/04/2007 16:11

The house is in my name and DH's as well.

I told BILFH that at his age he should be more responsible and self sufficient and his response was "says who?"

OP posts:
Whoooosh · 02/04/2007 16:13

Am not convinced that you taking them to the USA would be kidnapping but you need to get legal advice on this.
Do the dc's have dual nationality?

lulumama · 02/04/2007 16:13

ye gods ! BILFH has had it toooooo easy up till now, hasn;t he? never had to lift a finger, sounds like he has stopped growing up, aged about 10 !

see a lawyer, pronto

sweetpeasinapod · 02/04/2007 16:13

agree with cathcart, first step would be to get you all out of the house

TheArmadillo · 02/04/2007 16:13

Get legal advice to start.

It sounds like he is threatening you with horror stories of what will happen based on what he knows your fears are.

These don't necessarily need to be true. Get legal advice and find out what your actual position is and where to go from there.

You don't want to continue like this so start by calling/visiting the CAB, that will let you know where you can go from there.

By doing that you will be back in control.

I am really sorry that you are living with this

Anoah · 02/04/2007 16:14

Yes, they have dual nationality.

OP posts:
Carmenere · 02/04/2007 16:14

Go and ask the CAB about what you need to do to go home. My instinct is that you should go back to the states and you won't have to go without your dc's. Just do it by the book so that your idiot h doesn't have a chance of ruining the rest of your life.
Do all this quitely and take your time btw so he doesn't realise what you are up to.

fuzzywuzzy · 02/04/2007 16:15

one word ebay

I seriously would. My d(?)h 's freeloadign nephew has been living with us for the past two years, I utterly flipped one night, and locked the doors and refused to let him back in, he's now found somewhere to live (big fat stonking surprise there a twenty somethig year old can live on his own ). I informed h who was being as reasonable and helpful as yours appears to be that if the belongings of fuckingarseholefreeloading nephew were not out of my house in two weeks and the spare keys back in my house at the same time, there would be no belingings to come back to, and I would change the locks as I do not need strange men wondering into my house when it takes their fancy, I could be walking around naked or having an affair with he neighbour and I didn't want ot be distrubed thank you all the same. It worked too....I'm not usually such a stroppy cow but having put up with a free loader since the birth of my second child with not one second to myself since I feel well within my rights to lose it.

Soapbox · 02/04/2007 16:15

I would take legal advice with a view to commencing divorce proceedings against your H. The custody of the children will be determined as part of these proceedings.

Keep a record of his unreasonable behaviour so that you cna use it in the custody case.

There will be a financial settlement determined as well which will deal with who gets the house etc.

You should take legal advice on this also, but I would ahve thought that if you give your BIL formal notice that you want his stuff removed from the house and give a reasonable deadline then you should be okay to do so. Tell him that you will have a house clearance company come and take the stuff away and the proceeeds will be remitted to him.

I wouldn't worry too much about social services tbh - it is a threat that many use to little effect!

You must keep your behavriour above scrutiny though! So stick to the letter of the law.

zephyrcat · 02/04/2007 16:15

OK first thing is talk to a family lawyer and tell them exactly what you have put here. Find out exactly where you stand as things are now, and where you would stand if you divorced your H.

He is threatening you with social services because he is shitting himself that if you leave, he and his twunt of a brother lose their meal ticket.

How do you feel about your dh? DO you still want to be with him and just rid of the BILFH or have you decided that he is not worth it?

vimfuego · 02/04/2007 16:17

With BILFH (and his stuff) off the scene is there any case you can salvage your relationship with your DH?

zephyrcat · 02/04/2007 16:18

Took me too long to type that!! I see that you want H gone too... in that case get divorce prceedings started ASAP and get custody advice.

exbury · 02/04/2007 16:20

What a nightmare.

Definitely try the CAB and/or a solicitor. Could it be that it is easier just to go, take the DC, and fight them from the US? Are your DC only British citizens or do they have US nationality as well? (not sure that it makes a difference as I am no lawyer but it seems like it might do) - could you also get an opinion from a US lawyer on how you would stand if you just ran?

elclose · 02/04/2007 16:22

i would book the earliest flight and take the kids to the states i dont normally agree with kids being taken away from fathers but i think in this instance its ok.
Worry about the kidnap thing later xx

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