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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not allow my 17 year old daughter to go on holiday with her boyfriend and their parents?

504 replies

cinderelly · 21/09/2020 22:55

Hi my 17 year old daughter met her first boyfriend on twitter in June 🙈 Once lockdown was restricted they met up and have been quite intense ever since. Constant weekly dramas. We have asked to meet him but she kept making excuses. We didn't mind and just put it down to nerves. She started spending more time with him and she met his parents on 10th September. Since then - 11 days ago - they have been for 2 meals and the parents have joined too. I thought this was really sweet and asked when we could all meet. The red flags started after their 2nd meal - 5 days after meeting them for the first time - they asked her to go on holiday to gran canaria in December (her 18th). I was so shocked. We have never met them, I dont even know their full names and apart from being angry that they didnt broach the subject with her parents first, my initial reaction was "that is weird". Obviously she was flattered and was annoyed at my reaction. The next day I explained how I felt and thought she understood. I explained that i think it was too soon but would like to meet them. She was very defensive and eventually admitted that she was worried that we wouldn't get along. I tried to put her mind at rest and eventually backed off. I'm in no hurry and felt the holiday suggestion might have just been an off the cuff comment and assumed it would blow over. On Friday night the parents joined them again on a night out (the lad can't seem to go anywhere without them!) This time was to a bar in the city centre. My daughter text me at 11pm asking if she could stay over in their house. Again, bad cop here I said no. They dropped her off in a taxi about half an hour later and I used the chance to say hello and introduce myself. I was met by a very drunk and hostile mother. My daughter was drunker than id expected and the only thing the mother said to me was "shes had a drink ok!" My defenses went up immediately, so I just said "Really!" walked away and shut the door. I immediately realised why she was keen for us not to meet. Since then (Friday) they have booked a villa - apparently assumed she was going - still not attempted to get in touch with us - despite us knocking at their house on Sunday evening after (reluctantly) letting my daughter visit Sunday afternoon. She came home from college tonight absolutely sobbing her heart out because her boyfriend has 'flipped' saying we are too controlling and she should just go because she is 18.
I am absolutely flabbergasted. My blood is boiling and I find this whole scenario totally unreasonable of the parents. They have made no attempt to meet us and just seem to be poking for a reaction. Is it just me? I really feel like she needs protecting and I'm really sceptical about the parents intentions. Please help!?!?

OP posts:
greengreengrass14 · 22/09/2020 08:23

I've stopped DD going to see someone at a distance in similar. It was hard at the time , but I made the decision and then the new measures came along and it meant that for the moment at least she is safe and I didn't even need to tackle the other stuff (yet). Would give you time to rebuild your relationship with DD and have necessary conversations with a bit more peace and less interference...

Burnthurst187 · 22/09/2020 08:23

The mother sounds like the sort of woman that wants to pretend she's a teen again. Going out with her son getting drunk and allowing underage drinking. She sounds like a great influence Confused

No way would I want my daughter going away with them, who knows what would happen. The whole going away together, esp abroad, sounds v odd. Far too much, too soon

anarr · 22/09/2020 08:24

Regarding the parents it could be that you're jumping to the wrong conclusions, perhaps they're just more laid back in their parenting now that their son is older and assume you would be the same. Do you know if it was maybe a situation where they told him he could invite someone on the holiday or whether they specially wanted her to go?

I think the main thing you should be concerned about is your Dad's relationship with her boyfriend. I think at that age you shouldn't necessarily laying down the law on her but you can still try to steer her in the right direction. Sit down and talk to her about how this isn't a healthy relationship and his behaviour isn't normal, that he shouldn't be putting her down and she should feel she can be honest with him and not hide things like the Instagram account. I can see that being where the holiday goes wrong, if her boyfriend upsets her or they get into an argument on holiday abroad what's she supposed to do?

JustCallMeGriffin · 22/09/2020 08:26

You're right @cinderelly, something feels a bit off with this family and how they are treating your daughter. It's a shame that heady 17 year old affections don't give her the space to see that they are alternating between love bombing tropical holiday to family alienation and outright control.

That means you're in the unenviable position of trying to shine a light on this for your daughter without overstepping the mark.

I would definitely be in favour of a sensible no for now approach. There's a global pandemic, we're heading into a recession (so no excessive fun spending) and she'd be missing college when additional lockdowns and reduction in learning opportunities for her qualifications are likely. Not about them at all, just about using some common sense with everything that's happening.

When things look more stable then maybe a holiday with them could be revisited...but hopefully she sees through their behaviour before that's a reality and decides that being the other side of the world with a bunch of questionable people isn't a wise choice.

Best of luck with this one.

Emeraldshamrock · 22/09/2020 08:28

It sounds dodgy as hell. The least they could do is arrange to met you.

HaggisBurger · 22/09/2020 08:28

@cinderelly what is this point of posting here if you respond only to those who agree with you?? Is it just an echo chamber you want.

Again - what exactly do you mean by “predatory”. You’ve been asked numerous times.

It’s a VERY emotive and strong word to use - and shouldn’t imho be bandied about lightly. So - what predatory behaviour do you feel they are displaying and what predatory risk do they pose to your nearly 18 year old daughter?

JohnMcCainsDeathStare · 22/09/2020 08:30

It sounds an awful lot like her parents want her to take their son of their hands because they thing 'ooh a competent almost adult'. I have had that happen to me twice in that it dawned on me near or after the end of the relationship that perhaps his parents didn't think I was a wonderful person, more a caretaker for their not-very-good-at-adulting son.

Ultimately you can't really ban her but you can lay out your concerns and if she does go, make sure she does her research and can get out. Having said that, in your shoes I would say no, but you must justify it as there is the danger of driving them together.

MrsKingfisher · 22/09/2020 08:31

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MilerVino · 22/09/2020 08:32

Your dd is nearly an adult and will shortly be on her own making serious decisions about her life. I don't think you are taking this into account. You are still treating her like a small child, giving her permission to visit people on a Sunday afternoon. If these people and her bf are not safe people for her to be around, you want her to develop the right instincts to notice that herself.

This. The boyfriend's behaviour sounds controlling and my guess would be he's learned this from his parents. Your daughter needs the confidence and self esteem to realise that him making her feel bad is not right and it's not a healthy relationship. You need to change from parenting a child to parenting an almost adult.

Could you look into things like the Freedom Programme and investigate anything like that which would be appropriate for her age? It sound like she needs to tell him to do one, but thinks she is in love and he's special and so on, and so on. She needs to know that she's still so young and there are many other, much better, young men out there who she could have a relationship with. That, or being single is fine, but not all this drama and upset.

Figgygal · 22/09/2020 08:32

He sounds horrid and for his mum to turn up at your doorstep pissed and hostile is just skanky behaviour
I’m with you op it’s weird and I wouldn’t be happy either

dontdisturbmenow · 22/09/2020 08:34

Exact same situation with my DD at that age. Didn't cross my mind that I needed to meet the parents and excepted my DD to ask me if she could spend the night, just expected her to let me know.

I agree that you sound controlling in that you are treating your DD as if she was much younger than a few days off her 18th birthday.

cinderelly · 22/09/2020 08:35

@overnightangel

their relationship has been so volatile and such a rollercoaster. I dont want her to think this is normal. She constantly blames herself and persuades herself its just friendly banter when he puts her down for her clothes, her education, her IG posts. She even had a secret IG account from him. He looked in her phone, found it and left her sobbing in town after he told her it was over because she didn't tell him

This should have been in the original post and the thread title

“My daughter wants me to pay for her to go on holiday with her abusive boyfriend and vile parents”

The responses may have been more in line with reality.

Sounds like he’s taking the parents on dates so they can buy them booze.

@overnightangel your right

The reason why this wasn't the original post was because despite being worried about how he is treating her - the fact that she confides in me has helped me guide her. She has finished with him more than once and came ro this conclusion without my interference. I was expecting a final showdown any time soon.

The sudden appearance of The Fockers has blindsided me and made a bad situation worse but I was honestly beginning to wonder if I was over-reacting.

OP posts:
overnightangel · 22/09/2020 08:36

“ A holiday away with a boyfriend sounds great. I can see why the boyfriend is annoyed if you have said no!”

Are you thick @Redcups64?

bakingdemon · 22/09/2020 08:37

You don't seem controlling at all to me OP, just rightly concerned about whether this is the right relationship for your daughter. They met on Twitter would be red flag no 1, even without him trying to control her social media accounts, isolating her from her friends and trying to manipulate her feelings towards you. It sounds like she doesn't want to commit to the holiday - covid is a good excuse there. And you are right not to pay for it. Otherwise I think all you can do is continue to listen to her - it sounds like you're a great mum.

petingo · 22/09/2020 08:38

I am just glad that I never had children,this sounds like a nightmare.At 17 she is still a child.All this sounds very dodgy to me.

VivaMiltonKeynes · 22/09/2020 08:41

I've raised three children now living independently and continue to aid them in any way I can in their lives . In your case @cinderelly there is no way in hell I would have allowed my daughter to go off in a scenario like this . Let the people who say she is 18/17 blah blah get on with their lives and their own daughters . Honestly there is nothing wrong with a parent's interference at certain times. Slightly older than this and I had got tied up with a married guy . My Dad knocked on his door and told him to stay away from me . Did I hate my Dad at that time ? Yes . Was I forever grateful in time ? Definitely yes ! I look back and think what a Dad he was to me for doing that. Two weeks? Pay for it ? No way !

Chickenwing · 22/09/2020 08:44

Tell her you trust her judgement if she wants to go, but you wont be funding it. I would also be reconsidering any financial support you already give her and explain to her she broke trust by drinking underage. The instagram thing? I would honestly tell her straight that he is an asshole/she can do better/ not to let a boyfriend control her.

Averyyounggrandmaofsix · 22/09/2020 08:45

I am completely on your side OP except for one thing, when you said she could not stay over the parents had to get a cab (as they had been drinking) this would have annoyed me and I would have expected you to have arranged for her to get home.

Jaichangecentfoisdenom · 22/09/2020 08:49

@rookiemere

Well apart from everything else, there's zero way I'd be forking out right now for a foreign holiday in December, that's ridiculous to book that at the minute and that's one if the reasons I'd be giving for not funding any of this.
Exactly this. All else aside, there is a pandemic happening and it's not a good idea to plan to travel to a country which may be in lockdown by December (from a country which may also be in lockdown by December). @cinderelly - I'm with you, and I do agree with those posters who have suggested that your daughter needs you to say no so she has an excuse not to go and can blame you and not look bad in the eyes of the boyfriend. (Also, by the sound of it, the relationship will long be over by December, she already knows it's not right and her boyfriend shouldn't be treating her this way. But you can't tell her that!)
Goffsthelot · 22/09/2020 08:49

It's up to individuals how they choose to parent but fwiw I don't think you sound weird at all op. In fact it amuses me how, in Mumsnet world, young people of 17 who have never left home before, or had a bf or gf before, suddenly morph in to competent adults overnight on their eighteenth birthday. Not all teens are the same. Some will be massively independent and competent at that age and others will be far from that, and a whole load will be somewhere in between.

And as its you, the parents, who would be the ones paying in part for this holiday and mounting any rescue missions (in a global pandemic) should it go wrong, then yes I think it's reasonable that the op has a say in the matter.

The fact they dropped your daughter off in a cab when requested was good (and as I think you realise in hindsight, it would have been better for you to offer to pay for it instead of being impolite yourself op) but I wouldn't want my DD flying off with a mother who, on the only occasion you have met her, was not only drunk, but was seemingly unable to observe any basic niceties. And I think people who are saying they would let their DC fly off with this family having had that experience are being disingenuous.

I do think it's a bit unfair to assume this family are predatory though. Where I come from, families have a tradition of going out together to the pub or what used to be called a working man's club etc (not sure what they are called now or if they still exist). And it's not that unusual on the continent for families to go out for an evening together.

Nor do I think you should necessarily judge the family for not formally asking you for permission for your DD to join them. It may not be usual in their circles to do that, and they may feel they have already been polite and generous enough asking your daughter to go with them. To extend that invitation is a kind thing to do after all.

But most of all, no, your daughter should not be going on holiday during term time and should not be missing her college course. Have you asked her how she is going to justify that to the college and have you made it very clear that you are not going to lie on her behalf? I don't think many schools or colleges would tolerate an absence like that tbh.

I think this is one of those occasions where your daughter may resent you now, but will be - either inwardly or much later on - relieved that you objected. It's far too soon after only 3 months of knowing this lad anyway and his behaviour towards her sounds less than respectful. "No" is a complete sentence. Everyone seems very paranoid on here that saying "no" to your offspring automatically results in a fractured relationship but that's not the case in most families. It's not nice seeing your child unhappy, but most normal parent-child relationships can tolerate a few "no's" here and there.

Martinisarebetterdirty · 22/09/2020 08:50

OP I just want to add some support. I’m late 30s, no way would I have been allowed to “tell” my parents at 17 (or 18 before I went to uni) that I was staying out. I asked if it was ok. My own children are under 10, no way will they be “telling” me either, they will ask me, it’s simple courtesy. I may well say yes, I expect I’m more likely to encourage them to stay home with their partner with them at our house. Just tell her you’re really sorry you can’t afford it given the massive recession that is about to hit. I also suspect they were going to try and get you to pay more than her cost - no one books a villa on the assumption someone will say yes. Plus, he’d need a room whether she goes or not.
I think you should sit down and have a chat over coffee and cake - be calm and say these are my red flags, it’s up to you if you have the same ones, mine are built on thinking you are amazing and worth the best in life. Don’t get in to an argument, if she disagrees then tell her that’s fine, it’s up to her to set her own boundaries. You’re her mum, not her best friend. You can be both (as my own beloved mother is) but this is the time to be her mum first.

Mittens030869 · 22/09/2020 08:53

Tbh, I had concerns about this being a potentially abusive relationship from the start. This was because of the love bombing and the way it was getting so intense so quickly. And the subsequent posts added to that impression.

Two months in, she should be having the time of her life, not constantly being in tears about the way her bf is treating her.

It actually very much sounds as if your DD doesn’t really want to go, OP, so the thing to do, I think, is to simply say that you won’t fund the holiday so that you can be the villain here.

Florencex · 22/09/2020 08:59

They sound awful and I wouldn’t want my daughter (if I had one) going on holiday with them. But she will be18 by then so you cannot stop it.

I think you were a bit odd pushing for a meet up with the other parents before this holiday was announced too, they are a couple of teenagers who have been seeing each other for a few weeks, they have not announced their engagement!

Notgoingonholiday · 22/09/2020 09:00

Even if they had a perfect relationship, it is still very new and I would have reservations about my DD going away with a family on a foreign holiday. Throw in the fact it's not perfect, there's a global pandemic raging right now and you have been labelled 'controlling' by someone that doesn't know you personally and should be actually trying to gain your trust/respect (that's what I would like from a new partner of any of my children), then it would be a huge no.
And it does sound like your DD isn't massively comfortable with it all herself. Stick to your instincts.

Bluetrews25 · 22/09/2020 09:03

Isn't there a sticky post at the top of relationships board about what a shite relationship looks like? (Words to that effect!) Can you show it to DD? Poor girl is on a knife edge here, and it's so difficult to get it right when you are wanting to help.
I'd be worried, too, OP.