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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Who is unreasonable, him or her in the following....

87 replies

HusbandVsMother · 07/11/2020 08:42

Regular user but name changed for this.

For the record, I love both my husband and mother dearly but I also know both their faults. I'm lucky in that my mum and DH generally get on really well and love each other also.

My mother is to be frank, two faced and will never ever ever ever admit she's wrong or apologise. She will talk about other family members and criticise them no end, but is sweet as pie to their face. A classic example, one of my relatives recently turned 80. Now, I have a small family being mum, uncle, aunt & uncle and their two kids. All over the age of 40. Mum is part of the family by marriage to by now deceased father. The elder members of the family always go out for meals together and the aunt turned 80. An expensive meal was arranged. Mum and uncle (aunts brother) were left out despite always having been invited to birthdays before. Uncle was so upset about it that he still doesn't speak to Aunt. In fact he refused to go out for a meal just the four of them as it was a consolation prize in his view. Mum went on and on about it for days about how it was wrong - but still speaks to them on the phone and is now going to theirs for Christmas. Not once has she let them know how she feels.

Contrast this with DH - in the same scenario, he would refuse to have anything to do with his sister until she apologised. His fault is he can be stubborn and often cuts his nose off to spite his face. He regularly calls me mum two faced. I just go along with it because its how she's always been (my dad was a doormat) and I'm used to it.

So, that was just to illustrate the type of people we are dealing with.

Last night, talking on the phone as we do daily...... DH was telling mum about his day at work. This is something she is genuinely interested in and always asks to hear about. Four sentences after he started speaking she said "Sorry to interrupt but I can't believe how people around here can afford all the fireworks going off". At that point DH passed the phone back to me and said, you talk to her I'm not anymore. When we finished on the phone he kept going on about how she was being ignorant. Which she was but its her.

That was completely irrelevant to the conversation and did not need to be said then, She has form for talking over you and interrupting - its like she gets a brain fart and what ever it is has to be said right there an then.

She seem to think that because she said "Sorry to interrupt" its ok. I've tried explaining to her that it pisses me off as well as its as thought what your saying is not important enough for her to listen to - especially when its something not even connected to the conversation. All she says is "Well I'm sorry I'm not perfect" in a very sarcastic tone of voice.

She's 76 but has all her mental faculties so dementia is not the issue. Although that is her get out clause for everything "Its my age, its my age"

DH will calm down eventually but I'm worried that one day he won't when she pushes his buttons. Talking over people is the one thing he can't stand along with three way conversations i.e. I'm talking to you on the phone but you start in the background talking to someone else about something. If he's on the phone to his sister and she starts shouting at her kids he just hangs up.

I think it bothers me more because when I was with ExDH - my mother and him hated each other and it was horrible. I like the fact that both of them get on but at some point, one of them is going to push the other two far.

I'm not putting voting on because I can't work out which side is which - just wanted some thoughts on who is being most unreasonable - my guess is both

OP posts:
HusbandVsMother · 07/11/2020 08:42

Apologies - that was a LOT longer than I anticipated

OP posts:
KaptainKaveman · 07/11/2020 08:44

Frankly you all sound really petty and childish.

Fatted · 07/11/2020 08:47

Why does your DH speak to your DM on the phone? Why not just pass it over to you?

My own DM is hard work, has her eccentricities etc. I am the one who 'deals' with her so to speak.

Bluntness100 · 07/11/2020 08:47

Agree, you all need to grow the fuck up snd stop being drama llamas.

AllsortsofAwkward · 07/11/2020 08:48

You sound awful about youre mother and youre dh is no better. She commented about the noise of the fireworks when having a conversation. Get a grip.Biscuit

Bluntness100 · 07/11/2020 08:48

Sorry, to clarify, your husband has to tell your mother about his work nearly every day? Confused

Nottherealslimshady · 07/11/2020 08:49

I wouldn't allow my husband to talk about my mum like yours does. Shes similar to yours but I'm like you, I know she doesn't do it deliberately, and you have to be patient with her.
Your husband needs to be patient, he actually sounds like a self important arse that treats his and your family quite poorly if they dont fawn over him. Is she supposed to just sit and listen to his stories quietly? And sulking with his sister until she apologised for having a birthday meal with her brother? Jeez.
Your mum sounds like a nice person that has a lot of thoughts going off in her head.

Namechangedforthisoct2 · 07/11/2020 08:49

I’m really confused why your dh has to speak to your mum daily and about his day..... seems very OTT and I suspect maybe that’s why your dh did what he did because secretly he doesn’t really want to speak to her?

However your mum sounds rude and if someone cut me off like that and had form for doing it mid sentence I’d also disengage and not bother speaking to them.

Equally though - 4 sentences in about his day at work does sound really boring and like he was going on...... unless it’s an exciting job?

So I’d say mostly your mum, but maybe DH is a bit boring?

Nottherealslimshady · 07/11/2020 08:49

*without her brother

Seeline · 07/11/2020 08:50

I can't really see the issue?

Your DP is cross because your mother made a passing comment about fireworks whilst on the phone?

How old is he - 4?

Elderly people flit from one conversation to another in the blink of an eye IME. Is he really upset by that?

I can't see the connection to your earlier story. If it happened recently, I assume there were restrictions on numbers due to covid.

biggirlknickers · 07/11/2020 08:51

I think your DH is being a bit of a drama llama there. Conversations do go off on tangents - it doesn’t mean she wasn’t interested in what he was saying; she just had something else on her mind for a second. No doubt she’d have come back to his work.

SpeccyLime · 07/11/2020 08:53

I think your DH is wrong. He was hugely over dramatic about a very minor slight. Interrupting isn’t great, but making one topical comment while apologising for interrupting isn’t the crime of the century. A normal response from your DH would have been to say something like ‘yes, there have been loads round here too’ and then pick up where he left off.

Turning a very minor annoyance into a big drama like this reveals that he values his pride and self-importance more highly than his relationship with your mum, and I don’t think that’s a good trait.

Chocolate1984 · 07/11/2020 08:54

Your family did a shitty thing to your mum not inviting her to the meal. She understandably feels upset and is right to talk about it. Probably wouldn’t bring it up with the family so it doesn’t cause more hassle.

Your husband sounds like a a rude twat.

RuthTopp · 07/11/2020 08:54

It's 50/50 , could your dh have been a bit tired and antsy ? And your dm probably heard the fireworks go off so just butted in without thought ?

Pipandmum · 07/11/2020 08:56

I don't think their individual personalities means much here. She's having a conversation, seems like some fireworks go off which distracts her and she makes a comment. So what? Your husband could surely have said some vague comment back and continued talking about his day. He seems too impatient when talking and doesn't realise the world doesn't freeze and things can happen. So in this instance I think he was being unreasonable.

GinnieHempstock · 07/11/2020 08:56

I think the fact that your DH will put the phone down on his sister if she talks to one of her children whilst he is on the phone to her shows it’s more him than your mother. He thinks the world should revolve around him.

gobbynorthernbird · 07/11/2020 09:01

Are your aunt and uncle a married couple and did other people go to the meal?

BoyTree · 07/11/2020 09:01

Your husband sounds rigid and keen to find fault. Your mother sounds annoying, but in a much less deliberate way. I'd reduce contact between them to minimise the issues.

JollyHolly30 · 07/11/2020 09:01

@GinnieHempstock

I think the fact that your DH will put the phone down on his sister if she talks to one of her children whilst he is on the phone to her shows it’s more him than your mother. He thinks the world should revolve around him.
This. He sounds exhausting to live with if conversations with him must involve 100% focus on him every time he speaks.
ShirleyPhallus · 07/11/2020 09:06

Last night, talking on the phone as we do daily...... DH was telling mum about his day at work.

You speak to your mum on the phone every single day and then your husband comes on the phone to tell her all about his day, like an 8 year old thanking an elderly relative for a birthday present. That’s nuts. Absolutely bonkers.

I’m with your DH though. People that stop listening to you to interpret you with mindless brain fart chatter is straight up rude.

AlwaysCheddar · 07/11/2020 09:07

Daily calls!!! Wtf dies your dh need to speak to your mum?

BooFuckingHoo2 · 07/11/2020 09:10

Your husband is definitely in the wrong here, he sounds like a petty arsehole! I couldn’t put up with that behaviour and frankly he was downright rude to cut off the conversation with your mum like that, I’d be really embarrassed if a partner of mine did that.

imamearcat · 07/11/2020 09:10

DH sounds like a dick.

MacbookHo · 07/11/2020 09:11

DH will calm down eventually but I'm worried that one day he won't when she pushes his buttons. Talking over people is the one thing he can't stand along with three way conversations i.e. I'm talking to you on the phone but you start in the background talking to someone else about something. If he's on the phone to his sister and she starts shouting at her kids he just hangs up.

His royal highness sounds like a laugh a minute.

PeskyRooks · 07/11/2020 09:13

I think your DH sounds worse. If my brother out the phone down on me because I had to quickly speak to one of my children I wouldn't bother phoning him again!
Also my DM is always going off on tangents mid conversation so what?