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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU To contact brother even though

11 replies

UpsydaisyandIgglePiggleareatit · 16/05/2019 12:30

I think his mother may not want me to?

Background... it’s probably going to be long, sorry!

Parents split when I was 3... Dad kept in touch for a year then buggered off. Got back in contact when I was 11 (turned out his current partner and him were having problems and he’d heard my Mum was single again)
Started a relationship with my Dad and he shortly got back together with my stepmum as they had a little boy together. According to Dad she hated that I existed because he hadn’t told her about me and it was my Nan (who my mum and I were still very close to) that told her. Nan was also who told me I had a brother when I 10... I say told me... we were sat with her friends on their boat and she said she had 4 grandchildren. I knew of me and my two cousins.. so I asked if my auntie had another baby. No... ok my my uncles had one. No... ok my other auntie must have.. No. oh right my dads had another baby. She was absolutely mortified and really hadn’t meant for me to find out that way...
Anyway.. I saw my dad on my own for a bit and then I was allowed to go stay with him and his family. His wife was never anything but lovely to me. We would have really long chats about loads of stuff and I absolutely adored my little brother. I went to stay with them fairly regularly but they started having problems and split up. My dad moved closer to me but then eventually went back and they had a DD together and then split again. I then visited, with DF twice.. once when Dsis was a baby and again when she was 4 and DB was 7. That’s the last time I saw them face to face. Dad then emigrated and we Skyped with them but he soon lost interest and didn’t see or speak to them (or me much)
Fast forward lots of years... I’m living near them. My DH was friends with dad and step mum... so he knows her. I really want to make contact and just see if they are interested in getting to know me. When he was 7 my brother could remember most of the other times I’d been to stay.. So we contact exStepmum and she is all lovely and happy, shows me photos of DB and Dsis and we arrange a time to meet up. Go for coffee and she shows me more photos, asks if I’m still in contact with DF and I say I’m not, he’s always been pretty useless as a Dad and he can never be bothered so I decided to go NC as it was just too hurtful. She said good because she doesn’t want him in her life or the kids (who are 19 and 15 at this point) DF was abusive to her, she had to have an alarm put in by police if he showed up... things which I wasn’t fully aware of. She said she would love for me to get to know the kids again but right now they are both going through exams and she didn’t want anything to distract from that. Which I was perfectly ok with. She said she would ask them if they would be up for meeting me again. I went away feeling really excited and happy. Sent her a message saying thank you for meeting me and it was really good to see her and I hoped I could see them in a few months. Heard nothing back, ever again.
My brother is now 21 and I’ve found him on Facebook. I’d really love to message him but I’m scared he doesn’t actually want to know and both he and my sister told their mum they weren’t interested.
The reason I worry it’s their mum that doesn’t be want me to talk to them is because lots of people have said she is very two faced, she’s told people my dad is dead, my Nan has said she was extremely funny about me as child... even my DH has said she is a bit odd... but she was always so nice to me so I don’t really know what to think. Apparently when my dad put my baby sister on my lap for me to hold her and she went nuts at him afterwards... but during the same trip she asked me to watch her for a minute whilst she went to find DF and DB.
It’s all very confusing. I would have dealt with it if she had told me they didn’t want to see me but she just disappeared. My sister is 17 now but I can’t find her on SM.
I know my brother is now an adult and can make his own decisions but I think I’m pretty worried that he doesn’t want to know. I am a stranger to them really. What would anyone else do in this situation?

OP posts:
Summerorjustmaybe · 16/05/2019 12:35

Bypass nan, df,dm, sm and go straight to db. Let him make his own decisions about who he wants in his life. As an adult you can't be told what to do and with whom.
Take the step op. Contact db.

GreenTulips · 16/05/2019 12:36

He’s an adult and it’s nowbhis choice - regardless of what his mum thinks.

You have nothing to lose really

Say hi

Gigglinghysterically · 16/05/2019 12:51

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "she just disappeared." Does she no longer live at the same address? If she does could your DH not contact her again?

If not then I would probably write her a letter and, after allowing ample time, if a reply is not received then I probably would try and contact DB via SM.

It isn't as if he doesn't know of your existence and is going to be devastated by your contacting him. He will remember that he had an older half sibling.

Gigglinghysterically · 16/05/2019 12:52

has not 'had' an older sibling.

randomncftw · 16/05/2019 12:57

You have absolutely nothing to lose by contacting DB and quite frankly it is none of her business. He is your flesh and blood and he is an adult. Best of luck OP let us know how it goes! Flowers

UpsydaisyandIgglePiggleareatit · 16/05/2019 13:20

@Gigglinghysterically
She just didn’t contact me again, unfortunately I didn’t have her address only a phone number and we met up at a coffee shop, DH doesn’t know where she lives either. I tried to message but didn’t get a response at all.

OP posts:
UpsydaisyandIgglePiggleareatit · 16/05/2019 13:27

@Gigglinghysterically

I know the town she lives in and it’s near me but not her actual address

OP posts:
Chickychoccyegg · 16/05/2019 13:41

contact your db through social media, no need to involve his dm now he's an adult and can make his own desicion's , hope it all goes well

JorahsMistress · 16/05/2019 13:51

Your db is an adult, and dsis is not far off! As he's an adult its bugger all to do with his mum if you want to contact him

If it was me id start by contacting db, try and strike up a conversation and hopefully eventually meet, and once you have established some sort of rapport with him, ask him his advice on making contact with dsis, he will be well placed to say if its a good idea to wait till any exams she may be doing are over or if telling her now would be a happy boost she needs at a stressful time in her life, good luck! Thanks

lyralalala · 16/05/2019 14:07

I think you should bypass your stepmum and message your DB.

However, you should prepare yourself for no response or a negative one. You have no idea what he's been told about your Dad or even about you so just make sure you are are really ready for every possible response before you message.

Good luck!

Newtothis2017 · 16/05/2019 14:21

I agree with pp. Go directly to your db. Good luck

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