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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Incredibly selfish son!

133 replies

AsiaEbene · 26/03/2020 10:42

Hi,

I really don’t know where to start, please bare with me.

  1. DS18 is refusing to self-isolate, in his own words he doesn't understand why there is so much commotion and uproar regarding the coronavirus and he needs to go out and carry on as normal because it is going to have an huge impact on his mental health.
  1. A few days ago, I received a phone call from his girlfriend (very lovely girl, beautiful inside and out) who was in distress (crying) he has been cheating on her, I am disgusted with him. I have confronted him, he has said that doesn't know why he ”does” it and he doesn't have no particular justification and that he doesn't want to speak any further on the matter. This morning I received a phone call from her mother informing me that DS has given her an STI, DS is claiming that it is a lie she is trying to gain his attention.
  1. DS10 suffers from Aspergers and anxiety, his anxiety is very bad at the moment, he believes that DS18 is going to catch coronavirus and die.

AIBU for wanting to leave the house and go and stay with his father?

OP posts:
CalleighDoodle · 29/03/2020 09:28

Has he gone ?

Of course he wont have gone. Op will be paying him rent shortly. She has completely lost control of him and chastised other posters for calling him. And she doesn't want him to go. She would rather he stayed at home, risking her other son, than go to his dad’s. This man has all the power.

AsiaEbene · 29/03/2020 12:17

OliviaBenson

He is it son, why on earth would I pack his bags and leave them outside and put the key in the lock? Not to be rude but that’s just a stupid idea.

And yes he has now gone. Probably lost him again for a few months.

OP posts:
OliviaBenson · 29/03/2020 13:02

Because you need to put yourself and your other child first and enforce some boundaries and tough love. He's riding roughshod over you. Your other child will see that too.

I know it's a terrible situation and I do feel for you but he's out of control and had no respect for you, time to take it back.

I hope he's safe and well. You need to think about how you handle him going forward. I know you say you've lost him for a while but he's probably banking on you begging for him to come back. Leave him to it. Focus on you and your other child.

heartsonacake · 29/03/2020 13:13

Probably lost him again for a few months.

You never had him, OP. He didn’t listen to you and he didn’t respect you.

Elieza · 29/03/2020 13:30

If you felt you ‘lost him’ before how did you get him back? What happened?

Did you promise him things he would like to lure him in?

Or did he ask you, as dad was much tougher than you, and he wanted an easy life, and you went easy on your poor wee boy mummying him, ‘of course you can come home darling I’m so pleased’, like the parable of the prodigal son.

And then once he was with you, remember he treated your house rules, you and his siblings with disrespect. He frightened and upset your household.

So how’s it going to play out this time? He will want home again.

Please therefore consider things you can do differently to get a different result next time he comes home.

For example when he gets fed up with dads house rules and asks to come back for a luxury holiday camp at your house don’t be over there in a flash helping with his bags. Say ‘no you can’t come back until you prove you have changed your attitude. I will always love you but I refuse to put up with your previous behaviour. So you can think on that for a week and let me know in seven days time how you will change and what you will do differently and I will consider letting you return’.
He’ll whine and winge but the wait will show him you’ve changed and are tougher. If you jump to his every request he will not change.

On return to the family home you need to keep track of all dc’s behaviour. All need chores. All need to respect each other.

You’re not doing him any favours by allowing him to behave badly and get away with only doing the things he wants. Life and employment isn’t like that. He needs to man up and get used to doing things he doesn’t particularly want to do and behaving nicely when he’s pissed off inside himself. You have to be like that at work and just smile and say yes sir and do the boring filing or whatever, so he can start learning now.

You can still turn him around OP. Don’t give up.

AsiaEbene · 29/03/2020 16:28

@Elieza

I had to bribe him back with treats and a holiday. I will not do it again, I have DS10 to think about.

OP posts:
mbosnz · 29/03/2020 16:55

I hope you have, then your younger son perhaps has a fighting chance to avoid infection. It's about time you started to focus on that.

Inappropriatefemale · 29/03/2020 17:04

I do believe that your sons age group are the age group where they’re taking the CV the least serious, I think it’s their age and the fact they think they know it all, and that as they’re so young then they are somehow invincible from all this.

This may sound extreme but can’t you get the police to have a word with him when he goes out for non essential things, like possibly cheating, he may get fined and a stern talking too.

Sorry if it’s crap advice but I can’t think what else to offer you that way.Flowers

TheSmelliestHouse · 29/03/2020 17:10

I am so sorry that you are going through this. We have had something similar but far far less serious that your situation.

I have DS17 and we had full on shouting matches last weekend before lockdown, when he wanted to go out to play football with his friends and wasn't taking it seriously. DH and I went mad at him, but he went anyway. He came back a bit subdued and fully into the whole stay at home thing, in fact I cant get him to go out for the 1 hour exercise.

I think mine didn't realise it was serious, but as soon as the lockdown was declared he realised it was. Not sure what it will take for your DS to get the message but in the meantime I feel for you going through this.

It's so hurtful to have the teenagers behaving like little shits when all we have done is give them our all.

PardonWhat · 29/03/2020 19:46

He is it son, why on earth would I pack his bags and leave them outside and put the key in the lock? Not to be rude but that’s just a stupid idea.

To protect his vulnerable brother?

penisbeakers · 29/03/2020 20:25

Oh hooray he finally went.

AsiaEbene · 29/03/2020 20:51

PardonWhat

Would you do that to your son?

@penisbeakers

Yes he has gone, and I shall be giving away the majority of the bottles of hand sanitizers he has been making a great profit from.

Thanks everyone for your support, I've drank a whole bottle of wine this evening, the world and things always seem better when I've had a few glasses.

OP posts:
CalleighDoodle · 29/03/2020 20:53

I had to bribe him back with treats and a holiday. I will not do it again, I have DS10 to think about.

Well, yes that is where you went wrong.

He is an adult now. He can manage. However, if he decides to come home it must only be on condition he follows all house rules and pays board.

PardonWhat · 29/03/2020 20:58

AsiaEbene

If knowingly endangering the health of a sibling you bet you I would.

CandleFlames · 29/03/2020 21:03

My god you sound like a doormat.

BumbleBeee69 · 29/03/2020 23:36

wow.... maybe it's time to prioritise your younger Son... just a thought Hmm

OldUnit · 29/03/2020 23:58

He sounds like his Father's Son tbh....

springydaff · 30/03/2020 00:17

I wonder how many of the people responding to your thread op have 1. Children that age and 2. Difficult children that age.

I feel for you. It's almost impossible to control them at this age when they're behaving like this. It's like being in an abusive relationship, but with your own child Flowers

BumbleBeee69 · 30/03/2020 00:27

I wonder how many of the people responding to your thread op have 1. Children that age and 2. Difficult children that age.

More than you think....

springydaff · 30/03/2020 00:43

Doesn't sound like it Bumble.

There was great poster on here, maryz I think, who was absolutely BRILLIANT on this. Do google her op.

CtrlU · 30/03/2020 00:46

His an adult; the rules are simple.

While his under your roof he abides by YOUR rules. If he doesn’t want to, then HE can leave and fend for himself in the big bad world. He is an adult after all.

It seems harsh but the reality is; sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

Itsjustme1986 · 30/03/2020 00:58

God, Mumsnet posters can be horrible sometimes, imagine someone reaching out for help and being called a 'doormat' with no actual constructive advice. OP, my LO is only one so I can't give first hand advice but I did watch my sister go through hell with my nephew at this age and He got into some trouble too. She was also single parent, it is a really tough age for a single Mum to handle boys and no one can realise that until they have gone through it. Yes He's 18 which is technically an adult but God some of them are so dumb/selfish/arrogant at that age that it's hard to let them make the mistakes, maybe a little mistake will teach him a lesson, maybe a big one will ruin his or someone else's life. Some people in my family called my sister a doormat too and got annoyed that she was still trying to appease him but honestly she was just trying to keep some level of control to protect him, a couple of years on He is starting to show some great signs of being a great adult, He is showing a lot of his Mums kindness. I'm not sure what is the best in your situation right now but I do want to say you are doing the best that you can for both boys and wanting that for them makes you a great Mum, try to get some rest for yourself in between it all so you can think clearly. And try to have some 1:1 time with DS18 that's is not centered around all of this, give him some responsibility, ask him to do the shopping or something useful, make sure he watches the news and sees what is happening all over the world.

WotchaTalkinBoutWillis · 30/03/2020 01:16

Yikes, far too much to unpack in that to straight forward YABU or YANBU!
I've a 17 year old. If he can grasp the seriousness of staying in, why can't yours?!

timeisnotaline · 30/03/2020 01:27

Better to lose him for a few months op than continue supporting this behaviour. He cheats on his girlfriend, he’s selling hand sanitiser at a profit when people are dying (and he hardly has a family to feed or any reasons to be desperate like many do), he puts you and his brother at risk, he is a selfish little shit basically. At some point as a parent you have to take a stand, unconditional love is not at all the same as supporting children to be a parasite on society. (I don’t call 18 an adult but when there are actual children at risk the 18yos have to go look after themselves. You can only make decisions for you, not entitled 18yos who don’t care, so you need him out.)

Sometimeswinning · 30/03/2020 06:28

Yes he has gone, and I shall be giving away the majority of the bottles of hand sanitizers he has been making a great profit from

That's literally the most random comment.

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