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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU husband and child

25 replies

Fisharesexy · 06/08/2018 01:36

My husband always refused to have another child, I accepted this as his choice, although it has made me very unhappy over the years.
We have a 9 yr old son. He has 3 cousins he is close to and sees a lot, goes on holiday with. He has lots of friends and is popular. Plays rugby, goes on his Xbox with friends everyday.
Today he announced in tears that he wanted a sibling and that everyone else had one. Some of his friends have brothers they do things with.
I'm distraught, I've always wanted more kids and am still angry that my husband never wanted more.
I'm 40 now and feel time has run out anyway, age gap etc, plus I have an underactive thyroid, so worried about health issues from that.
Could anyone talk sense in to me?
I feel so guilty all the time about no sibling.
Thanks

OP posts:
wowbutter · 06/08/2018 01:39

I can't advice from a mother POV as I have two.
But I was an only child, and I did this and begged for a sibling, and actually I'm fine.

FissionChips · 06/08/2018 01:41

No reason to assume he would’ve even liked his sibling if he had one. I detested all of mine and never ever played with them.

Funnybunnydog · 06/08/2018 01:46

By the time any potential sibling would be old enough to play with properly your DS would be a pre teen/teen and not interested in playing with them at all. They might not even lime each other. Me and my brother were absolutely horrible to each other as children and now barely speak as adults.

Aquamarine1029 · 06/08/2018 04:26

Your son is just going through a phase. I am an only child and had a wonderful childhood. I know many onlies who had the same. Your son will be just fine.

daughterofanarchy · 06/08/2018 17:42

I had a second child as husband and DD1 kept insisting that Dad needed a sibling. I felt so guilty and agreed. But it’s my life tur be upside down by it all everyone else has just carried on. I hope you don’t take this wrong as it’s only My experience and i can’t speak for others, but it’s made me resent my husband and our marriage is on th rocks right now.
I hope you can come to some resolution, these situations are difficult for all concerned.

daughterofanarchy · 06/08/2018 17:43

*Dd needed a sibling, not Dad (that would be weird) Stupid phone!

IceCreamFace · 06/08/2018 17:48

There is no guarantee that a sibling would solve that problem - they may have fought constantly, the sibling may have been a sister and he'd have begged for a brother (or vice versa), the sibling may have had massive additional needs and taken up all your time and attention.

Kids are always going to see their friends' lives through rose tinted glasses and wish they had XYZ that it seems to them that everyone else has. This one has just struck a nerve because you would have liked an extra child.

As long as DH was honest with you all along I would be careful not let the resentment build. He didn't force you to have only one child you married a man knowing it would mean only one child.

Fisharesexy · 07/08/2018 06:13

My husband always said we would have 2 kids.
After our son was born, he kept putting off having another. He changed his mind basically. I've had to watch god knows how many couples go on to have more children.
So I'm bloody angry about that, yes.
I'm worried I've let my resentment seep through to my son.
He was upset again last night, I don't know what to do.

OP posts:
Singlenotsingle · 07/08/2018 06:33

What can you do? It would mean total disruption to the house if you had another one now. Sleepless nights, nappies, expensive childcare if you're working, resentful H. Maybe even D's might not be happy - he might have changed his mind by then...

OliviaBenson · 07/08/2018 06:36

When I was that age I used to stomp around and wish that I was an only child. It's a phase, he'll grow out of it. No one should ever have a child for a child.

But it's clearly brought up some feelings in yourself that you need to address.

Thatsfuckingshit · 07/08/2018 06:46

It's a phase. My dd begged for a sibling. We were ttc any way, although we didn't tell her that.

A few days after I found I was pregnant, but hadn't told dd, she turned round and said that she changed her mind and she didn't want one.

Your husband is, unfortunately for you, entitled to change his mind. While we may think we want 2, we can't guarantee it. We may only want one, or 4.

Holding on to the resentment is not healthy. Your husband was entitled to his choice and your were entitled to stay or leave, based on that.

You can not now refuse to acknowledge that your son is going through a phase, so you can shift the blame to your husband for upsetting your son. You would be using your son to punish your dh for how he feels.

Having a child because your other child wants one, is a recipe for disaster.

Thatsfuckingshit · 07/08/2018 06:47

Oh and yes. If you had of had another, you may find your ds upset because the sibling is annoying him again and he could be telling you he wished he was an only child.

EscapistTendencies · 07/08/2018 06:47

Mine decided aged 9 he'd like a sibling too. Never going to happen and he wasn't particularly upset. I pointed out all the things he wouldn't have/be able to do if he had a sibling. For example his best friend is a middle child of 3 and gets dragged here there and everywhere for his older siblings sport, often gets called in from playing as he has to accompany him to training several times a week. This boy has often said he'd love to do the things ds and I do but can't because of his older and younger siblings needs always coming first. Maybe point out the positives.

NotAgainYoda · 07/08/2018 06:51

If you had a child now, that child would not be the sibling your child imagines. Not for a long time. It sounds as if your son has a rich, active life that a sibling is as likely to disrupt, enrich or not really affect that much...

As for you, I think you may need some help to talk with your DH about your resentment, because it sounds as if you never made peace with this but pretended to, or were made to act as if you had. And that emotion has festered. I wonder if your DH has ever really 'heard' how you felt. It's such a hard thing because there is no compromise, but he got what he wanted and the fact is you didn't - did he hear how you felt about that?

OohOohMrPeevly · 07/08/2018 07:02

My son aged 6 begged for a sibling and then when she arrived was very disappointed!! It's only now that they're 15 and 21 that he's started being civil towards her.

Pilgit · 07/08/2018 07:18

On the being upset about it front, personally I would make that your DHs problem to deal with. You are not able to be objective about it or explain it. It was his decision he should deal with the consequences.

However I also think you're projecting some of your (very understandable) heartbreak over it onto the situation. Children always want what they don't have and the reality rarely matches up to the vision they have. There are so many positives to having an only and you have to make the best of it and find a way to get over it or the bitterness and resentment will dominate your life - and the only person that hurts is you.

HelpmeobiMN · 07/08/2018 07:22

I feel for you, because your husband changed his mind about the second child. While he's entitled to do so, it is very hard on you to come to terms with it. That may be showing subconsciously to your son, or he may just be seeing what his friends have.

The truth is, it wouldn't necessarily have worked out. Apart from the fact that your DH might have been resentful of an unwanted second child, there is also every chance that the siblings would have fought like cats and dogs rather than been friends. And with one, you can lavish so much more time and attention on him. Plus you're financially much more secure.

Resentment is a habit, and you can train yourself out of it and into appreciation if you make the effort to do so. Your resentment is understandable, and I am very sympathetic. But for your own happiness I would try not to nurture the grievance and would instead focus on consciously acknowledging the joy of what you do have.

QueenofmyPrinces · 07/08/2018 07:33

Hi OP

After the birth of our first child (he’s now 4 years) both DH and I agreed to only have one child. This had sort of been discussed and agreed upon whilst I’d been pregnant anyway really.

Anyhow - when DS was about 14 months old I started to want another and one of the big driving factors was that I wanted him to have a sibling. I used to watch other children playing and having fun with their siblings and knowing there was that special bond made me feel incredibly sad at the prospect of never allowing my son to have that. I didn’t feel guilty though, just sad at what he’d be missing out on.

I spoke to DH and he categorically said no to having another child. As the months past though my feelings grew stronger and I felt upset at the thought of us as parents, forcing DS to be an only child, because we (well DH) had made that choice.

I spoke to DH again, and again and again and there were lots of tears and eventually when DS1 was just under 2 years old (so about 10 months after me first talking to DH) he agreed we could TTC for another baby.

It took a long time to get pregnant and ultimately there is a 3.5 year age gap which in my opinion is still a little too big. We had another boy, he’s just about to turn one, and the relationship between them is amazing but I’m well aware that because of the age gap, the potential for their relationship to go awry when they’re older is a real one.

I think if it whilst TTC the potential age gap between DS1 and another baby continued to grow I would have stopped TTC. As I said the main driving force behind having another baby was to give my son a brother/sister they could form a relationship with, but if the potential age gap had gotten bigger than it would seem pretty pointless as it was likely our first son wouldn’t have any inetetrst in a much younger sibling as the years passed.

I know siblings with 5-6+ year age gaps and although the love/bond is there in the early years it eventually fades off as the two children eventually end up leading separate lives from each other as opposed to wanting to spend time together, and this separation then continues into adulthood. This is not true for all large age gaps obviously but it’s just my perception of what I see occurring around me.

I know you’re upset because you wanted a second child anyway, but I would try not to let your child’s sudden desire for a child cause a rift between you and your DH. Even if you did decide to TTC and you got pregnant straight away, your son would be 11ish when it was born and how would that actually benefit him?

When he’s 16 years old is he going to be telling his mates he doesn’t want to hang out with them because he’d much rather chill out with his 5 year old brother? I doubt it.

And when he’s planning on college/uni and the arrival of girlfriends I’m not sure how much time he’s going to have for his much younger sibling and when he hits adulthood and starts living an independent life, how much in common will he have with a 10 year old sibling? How much in common will they have?

Like I said, this isn’t the case for every big gap sibling relationships but they are certainly worth considering.

I think you should have a very frank discussion with your son and ask him exactly why he wants a sibling because wanting one just because his friends have one is a bit of a flimsy reason.

If it’s because he says he’s lonely then put the above scenarios to him. He’s too young to understand the complexities of what he’s asking of you but I know it must be hard to see him upset Sad

Please don’t feel guilty, afterall, when he’s flown the nest in ten years it won’t be him having to look after with the sibling he so desperately wanted, it will be you. I imagine he would give little thought to a much younger sibling in terms of wanting to spend time with them.

I think you need to find a way to address the upset you feel towards your husband but based on my own experiences I can completely understand why you feel the way you do.

However, don’t use your son’s request to make you feel worse about the situation or risk your marriage because the likelihood is that despite what your son is saying, in reality, providing him with a sibling probably won’t provide much of a benefit to him as the years go on.

Like I said, I do understand why you feel the way you do but don’t feel guilty towards your son just because your son wants a sibling, I’m sure it’s just a phase. Would you really want to go all the way back to square 1 again to make a 9 year old boy happy who this time next year may feel completely different?

I hope nothing I’ve said has offended or upset you or any other poster, I just think you need to think about the bigger picture and realise that you although you’re upset to see your son like this, having another baby for his sake in your current situation isn’t the right thing to do. Don’t be harsh on yourself OP, your son will be fine as an only child Flowers

TheGoldenWolfFleece · 07/08/2018 07:56

I've got stepchildren and my dc were born when the younger dsc was 9. It's way too big an age gap. Yes she loves them, but they have completely different interests. It's almost impossible to find a day out that interests an 11 year old and a 2 year old. The older children do sometimes resent the younger ones because they take up so much time.

Fisharesexy · 07/08/2018 17:37

Thanks for all your replies, very useful.
My son has a good life, 3 cousins he's close to. One is in his class at school. He's very popular at school and is always playing on the Xbox with friends. He does rugby and is very popular there as well.
I know plenty of siblings with a large age gap who have great relationships with each other as adults. That does not concern me.
I need to address my issues with not having a second child, for my own sake.
I've told my husband he needs to do more to take the pressure off me.
My son is not lonely, if anything he never stops socialising!!!!
It has just hurt me badly to think he is upset about something that has caused me so much pain.
I have pointed out the benefits of his life. He seems a bit happier, but not convinced he is ready to not be sad about a sibling.
I'll keep plodding on though!!!!

OP posts:
Thatsfuckingshit · 07/08/2018 17:51

I've told my husband he needs to do more to take the pressure off me.

Can you explain this a bit more?

SugarIsAmazing · 07/08/2018 17:55

At least you knew.
My partner had a vasectomy behind his ex wife's back and she obviously never conceived a second child. He already had two others from a previous relationship.

cchristie1936 · 07/08/2018 17:55

The age gap between you first child and any second child would mean that they would never play together anyway. This is your issue more yours than your son's but you know that.

cchristie1936 · 07/08/2018 17:59

Not that I wouldn't be annoyed too of course.

FlyingMonkeys · 07/08/2018 18:09

But you can't magic a similar aged sibling out if thin air. It sounds like he has a full filled active social life. As you've stated OP this is more about him hitting a nerve for you. If you speak to your DH regarding it and you make a joint decision to try for another child that'll be for you not for your DS. I can imagine it's upsetting that he's brought up a very sensitive area for you but he's not missing out here.

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