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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask DH to back off from relative for the sake of our marriage?

283 replies

WatchingMyChickenStrip · 16/02/2020 10:49

DH has a relative who has chronic depression and anxiety which started when a traumatic event happened within the family. The relative has never really sought any help for this- they've been prescribed medication which they haven't taken, offered therapy which they never went to.

Every so often, the relative will phone DH whenever they are having a particularly bad time and need to talk. DH usually ends up going round for hours, listening, trying to help. The relative usually rehashes the tragedy, and when DH comes home he is understanably upset himself for some time afterwards.

DH and I now have a non sleeping toddler, we're both working, and life is busy. I have had a really stressful time at work recently, we've caught every bug going this winter, and on top of the lack of sleep, I'm frankly run down and struggling a bit. Relative phoned DH on Friday, and he went round for two hours. We don't make a big thing of Valentine's day, but it was DH's day to do bath and bedtime while I cooked a nice meal and we were going to have a bit of a date night at home (cheesy I know, but we have nobody to babysit in the evenings) this ended up going up the left due to the relative's crisis.

This is where I'm perhaps being a bitch. The relative seems to need DH most at times when he's likely to be thinking of other things. Right before our wedding, when the baby was a few weeks old, a few days before baby's first Christmas, that sort of thing. I'm not saying they do it deliberately, but obviously I do notice it more when it's around certain times.

So I had a bit of a row with DH when he came back, and we haven't really spoken since. I told him that he needed to consider how much energy he expends on the relative versus how much he expends on his wife, because I was struggling right before his eyes, and he didn't seem to notice because he was caught up with relative. I also said that relative was basically a bottomless pit that he would never be able to fill or fix, and that it wasn't up to DH to be their crutch. DH said this was really unfair, but when I pointed out the length of time this has all been going on, plus the amount of time he has spent round there, and how nothing has helped long term, he went quiet.

We haven't really discussed it since, and I'm not sure whether to bring it up again or whether I've been unfair. DH is a really nice man, and his care and dedication to.family and friends is one of the things that made me fall in love with him, but I feel like at the minute it's at my detriment. I am known as a strong, capable person, which most of the time I'm glad to say I am, but I feel this is now being taken for granted

OP posts:
SE13Mummy · 18/02/2020 00:02

I'm echoing what many of the PPs have said; your DH needs to get some support for his own mental health and there's every chance that support will involve helping him look at ways he can put in boundaries that work for him. It's not ok for the support he offers to his relative to result in him becoming unwell/shutting down and I wonder if he needs to find a way to let the relative know how unwell it makes him each time.

From what you've described, it sounds as though your DH feels compelled to support his relative, but after doing so, he doesn't have the capacity to really function, never mind be aware of another person's needs. You've not needed his support until relatively recently so his pattern of rushing to support his relative, and then being unwell, has been maintained over a number of years. It's likely that when his relative calls, his response is instinctive/habit rather than deliberate because he simply doesn't have an alternative response up his sleeve. Whilst I'm sure there's lots that the two of you could work on together to change this, I would worry that would put even more pressure on you to be the strong, capable one. If you feel his lack of regard for you is a consequence of his need to support his relative, and that it's likely to change once he has some support of his own, I'd focus on encouraging him to access some counselling or CBT for himself. If you feel you need something for you that's more than waiting for him to develop different strategies to manage his relative, perhaps you would also benefit from accessing counselling?

LannieDuck · 18/02/2020 09:54

the focus needs to be on his setting boundaries

This is what I was going to say. I was struck by how strong this siblings' own boundaries are - that they missed DH's milestone birthday. But DH (and you!) is expected to give up valentine's day?

He needs to get to a place where he can say "this is family time, but I'll call you in the morning", or similar. And he needs to start pushing back on reliving every detail - it's not healthy for him. He can (and absolutely should) still support, but he needs to find a way that he can do that and maintain his own health/family. It sounds as if other family members have managed to do this (leaving it all falling on DH).

MrsCBY · 18/02/2020 21:48

I read this thread when you posted it, WatchingMyChicken, and came back to re-read it, and what strikes me is how abusive the dynamic feels.

The sibling is effectively using your DH to vomit all their undigested, unprocessed trauma into on a regular basis, and your DH is left incapacitated by this input of toxic waste for days afterwards - but still keeps going back and allowing the sibling to do the same over and over again.

It works for the sibling. They can function, they have a life, job, partner, family, and because your DH is playing the role of emotional waste bucket, they can and could continue in this cycle indefinitely. It’s very telling, as others have said, that they are so protective over their own boundaries and family time, to the point of missing your DH’s milestone birthday, but your DH is unable to be even remotely protective of his family time, or set any boundaries at all.

It doesn’t, on the surface, work for your DH. It’s almost like a master/slave dynamic. The sibling demands everything and gives nothing, your DH gives everything and demands nothing.

And yet they are both adults, who were both impacted by this trauma. Why is it only the sibling who is allowed to be selfish (who sounds actually quite narcissistic tbh), to need support, to have their needs met in this relationship while giving nothing in return? While actually making your DH’s life harder and more painful? Some people have said what if the sibling became suicidal if your DH didn’t run to enable; well, what if your DH became suicidal as a result of this ongoing stress and repeated stirring up of his own trauma? Would the sibling take responsibility for that?

Why is there an unspoken agreement that one adult (your DH) is responsible for the well-being of another adult (his sibling) but there is no reciprocity at all?

Your DH sounds hugely co-dependent. He has no boundaries, no understanding that we are all entitled to be selfish to a degree, that it is actually unhealthy to never put your own needs first. But he must be getting something out of this. Perhaps some kind of validation that he is a “good” person. That he is powerful enough to make his sibling better. Maybe he has avoided really processing the trauma himself, and “being there” for his sibling actually serves a purpose for him on some unconscious level; maybe it’s guilt that makes him keep going through this; there could be a myriad of reasons - but just as the sibling needs to want to change this situation for anything in their life to shift, your DH also needs to want his dynamic with the sibling to change in order for anything different to happen.

The sibling isn’t going to be open to suggestions for what to do differently because the current situation is working for them. Neither is your DH going to do anything to rock the boat because as long as you are there to pick up the slack, be his emotional buffer, keep his home/emotional life running, and take care of his child, it’s working for him too, crappy though it may be. It’s bad, but it’s not unacceptable.

This will carry on until someone says it’s unacceptable. It looks like the only person who might do that is you. You’ve taken the first step - good for you. You have every right to say this is intolerable and while it may be true that stopping enabling the sibling would be good for them too, you don’t have to approach it from that angle. You are entitled to put your needs first yourself, and to ask your DH to prioritise you and your child.

In fact, as parents, you should both be prioritising your child above everybody else. The sibling has agency and choices in this situation that your child simply doesn’t have. And your child will undoubtedly be affected by this in years to come if the situation doesn’t change. Please don’t understate (to yourself) how unhealthy this is, how much things need to change. You have a right to a decent quality of life, not this protracted struggle that you only just make it through, and a decent quality for life is all you're asking for. Your DH’s sibling has that same right too of course, but it is up to them to achieve that in a way that doesn’t require you and your DH to sacrifice your own happiness.

Very definitely, YANBU.

TheMotherofAllDilemmas · 19/02/2020 06:58

The couples counseling should come first to clarify and examine how this issue is affecting both of you and your marriage.

OP, in your last post you said you would talk to your husband about how to approach the situation but they you didn’t want to be a burden by telling him how you feel.

How do you think this is going to be resolved if he doesn’t know how you feel? If you are ok, why would he need to put boundaries on how/when to help his sister, he would think you are just selfish.

Timing is everything in relationships, you need to talk about this while your relationship is healthy enough to take it, not wait until the relationship is eroded with resentment and patterns of neglect towards his wife and child family are firmly established.

Hepsibar · 19/02/2020 07:03

Your DH doesnt have the medical expertise to address the issue ... he can only be a crutch and in the meantime cause damage to you and your family.

HavenDilemma · 19/02/2020 10:53

If they have refused any kind of help (either meds or therapy) then this is going to be permanent thing.

I have had severe anxiety & depression for 20 years now. It's always there, despite very good medication. I haven't had therapy (can't afford it and my local nhs trust doesn't provide any mental health service) so therefore it remains and always will

HavenDilemma · 19/02/2020 10:59

In other words YANBU at all!!!!

What happens when in future, one of the kids has an important performance at school that means everything to them and suddenly DH gets summoned to this relative?

You're headed on holiday and about to leave for the airport - off he goes, holiday cancelled.

It may be helpful if he at least shared where he plans to draw the line..

Bagofoldbones · 19/02/2020 11:10

I think you might need to consider the fact that your dh likes going to the rescue.

If this person has a lot of support round them and seems to get on with life quite well when busy and on holidays or with their family - then your dh enjoys being that crutch.

So in that circumstance I’d be starting to get a bit annoyed at home ditching you for some one who was doing fine until no one was around them

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