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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not let my brother come stay with me?

155 replies

daisydaisy7 · 28/07/2021 11:37

Brother and I were close growing up. Drifted apart in late teens early twenties. He's now 30. I'm 26.
Mainly because I think I realised what an ar*e he can be.
I feel he can be very entitled & spoilt and expects everyone to do everything for him.
We have a lot of disagreements because of this and to be honest he mostly only ever contacts me to ask for money and it's been that way since I was about 17.

Our mum died last November. I had no help from either of my brothers with paying for or organising my mums funeral. It totally broke me.

Fast forward to the current situation. He is separated from his sons (1yo) mother due to a lot of reasons and their relationship wasn't working. They're amicable and co parent well from what I know. Happily take the baby out together and he spends time their with them both. I'm pretty sure he stays over every now and then too.
Anyway, he's renting a house from a friend. Friend told him she needed the house back as she needed to move in and gave him a month to get something sorted. That month ends on Saturday
He has just messaged asking if he can stay with me for a "few weeks" until he saves enough for a deposit. So he hasn't bothered to try find somewhere else to live.
He's apparently asked his ex to stay in her spare room. She said no because she likes her own space. Fair enough.
I'm reluctant for the following reasons

It won't be a few weeks. It'll be a lot longer because he's a very unmotivated person and and won't be bothered to look because it's convenient to be here.

I have 2 DD's. 4yo & 3mo. I'm breastfeeding the baby so often sat on the sofa for long periods of time while she feeds/sleeps.

We don't have a spare room. Well the baby isn't in the nursery yet but it's a nursery so no space for a bed. So he'd have to stay on the sofa. The living room is used everyday. Where my children play etc so I couldn't imagine what I'd do if it then became a bedroom. I don't want to have to be confined to the upstairs in my own home. He works evenings so doesn't get home till after 1am most nights and then sleeps in late. We are up at 6am.

My husband is a great man and would do anything for anyone so he'd probably say it's okay but really I know he wouldn't be happy with it. And I feel bad because this is his home too and I feel like he is always picking up the pieces for my family. There have been various other situations where he has done a lot to help them out.

My baby currently has bronchiolitis, which I know isn't forever but it's stressful and worrying nonetheless. My DH and I have a great relationship but the tiredness and stress that comes with a new baby and being parents are a problem at the moment. He works long days so we barely see him till the weekend. I just don't want to add another stressful element to our relationship.

If I thought he would be helpful while here it might be different but I doubt it. I can't see him offering to contribute to costs of him being here or helping to tidy up etc.

We grew up in poor area. My mum was a single parent on benefits with her own struggles but she did her best.
I have worked incredibly hard to get to the position I'm in now. We own our home in a nice area, my girls are far from spoilt but they never want for anything which is the opposite to what I had. I think he seems to think I'm the 'privileged' one because of this. So it's up to me to fix all his problems. But really we had the same start in life and I have just made better choices and wanted to get away from that life. His ex said one of the reasons they broke up was because he wanted to be mothered and she wasn't willing to do it.

sorry for the long winded post!
Would you put him up in my situation?

OP posts:
Datsandcogs · 28/07/2021 16:21

It would be a no from me given the circumstances, you don’t have a spare room and he would restrict your current living arrangements.

RampantIvy · 28/07/2021 16:22

I think possibly yes. He's always lived with partners, sponged off them.

So everyone he has known has enabled him. Well done for standing up to him. Time for him to grow up and be an adult.

TeapotCollection · 28/07/2021 16:32

No to storing stuff as well. He’ll be always needing to come and look for something etc. And oh look it’s late now I’ll stay the night here

Staffholidayclubrep · 28/07/2021 16:35

Well done for saying no.

Now say no to storage - he can rent a lock up or use yellow box storage or whatever they are called.

You do not need this stress

You reap what you sow …..

cinders15 · 28/07/2021 16:39

Marvellous!!
A cocklodger without the benefit of cock!!
I'd give him the bum's rush!
And fgs don't let him store anything!! Are you mad? Why should you!
He can pay for storage like normal people!!

QueenBee52 · 28/07/2021 16:39

@Staffholidayclubrep

Well done for saying no.

Now say no to storage - he can rent a lock up or use yellow box storage or whatever they are called.

You do not need this stress

You reap what you sow …..

Yes agree Well done for refusing.. takes a lot to say NO..

and No to storage too 🌸

Longdistance · 28/07/2021 16:40

He sounds pathetic. Don’t let him store stuff, you’ll be forever stuck with it. He needs to grow the fuck up.

EleanorOlephantisjustfine · 28/07/2021 16:42

In your position I wouldn’t hesitate to say no. Who wants someone staying when they have a new baby and no spare room. Please put your own family first.

Chachachawoo · 28/07/2021 16:42

Sorry for the loss of your mum. What a lot you have had to vcontend with.
You've held it all together with a young family not through luck but bc of hard work and commitment to your family.
He is treating you as the soft and easy option. He is a grown man who needs to learn to take responsibility for himself.
Be prepared for him to turn nasty and blame you for his homelessness. Stand firm. You don't have room
Good luck

RedToothBrush · 28/07/2021 16:44

No is a complete sentence.

You know him well enough to know he willntake the piss and won't be bothered to sort himself out for months.

You don't have the space and you won't risk your other relationships to accommodate his fecklessness.

Chachachawoo · 28/07/2021 16:46

Had to add add would say a hard No to storing things too. Nip it in the bud. He will abuse whatever kindness you show.

Feedingthebirds1 · 28/07/2021 16:48

No to the storage either. If he keeps things at yours it gives him an excuse to keep coming to your house, and then he'll decide to stay for dinner, and then 'well he might as well stay the night'.

No. He has options that he can pay for. And if you say no and he asks why, the answer is 'because you're an arsehole'. And then end the conversation.

Tbh I'd also keep your doors locked and the keys in the locks. I wouldn't trust him not to turn up on the doorstep and come in if the door was open.

Skiptheheartsandflowers · 28/07/2021 16:53

@daisydaisy7

He's now asked if he can store some things here. Which I don't mind as we have a large basement but he's definitely trying to make me feel guilty 🙄
What a shame you've just filled up the basement with a load of stuff of your own!

I wouldn't hesitate to make up an excuse with someone this entitled, to save yourself from continued pestering and moaning.

obeabdabother · 28/07/2021 16:54

No.

He's burnt his bridges because he's an arse. Thats on him.
He will mess up your life if he moves in.

TheQueenOfTheNight · 28/07/2021 16:55

Well done on saying no.
Don't store his stuff.
Read up on codependant siblung relationships.
Feel good knowing that the sooner people stop enabling him, the sooner he will be forced to grow up. So you're doing him a favour.
Also feel very good that you're children won't grow up seeing this behaviour normalised "oh that's just uncle X, he gets what he wants by whining, if he doesn't do things himself everyone else just sorts things out for him."

TheQueenOfTheNight · 28/07/2021 16:56

Urgh typos:
Sibling
Your

And really, don't store his stuff Grin

chaosrabbitland · 28/07/2021 17:02

no. it will be months and months and months , it takes ages to save for a deposit and full months rent these days and he will be comfortable at yours to boot , then you will have to have a row to get him out ,

UrbanRambler · 28/07/2021 17:02

No, YANBU in any way, he sounds thoughtless and is unlikely to change. Some people behave like parasites and just take, take, take, as long as they can get away with it. His ex wife did the right thing.

Don't store anything for him either. One box will become a dozen.

LookItsMeAgain · 28/07/2021 17:20

@daisydaisy7

He's now asked if he can store some things here. Which I don't mind as we have a large basement but he's definitely trying to make me feel guilty 🙄
"DB, I can't put you up in the house. I can't store your belongings. Here is the number for a storage company and I think they do decent rates. You'll also be able to access your belongings at any time of the day or night if you use them. I can't get involved in this situation that you now find yourself in. Please stop asking, the answer is no"
daisydaisy7 · 28/07/2021 17:22

Since my DM passed I have often thought how lovely it would be to move to another country just to be away from him. But I shouldn't have to uproot my families life just to escape his sh*t.
I've have been way too soft over the years and a massive push over. I can't count how many times I've had to bail him out and I'm just fed up of feeling guilty about not wanting to help him because he's never grateful or a nice person, but doing it anyway because he's my brother.
I need to stop enabling him. Saying no now will set a precedent for the future.

OP posts:
LookItsMeAgain · 28/07/2021 17:33

It is so not an attractive trait to be sponging off people, living rent free, not being able to have your own place, that kind of thing.
I don't know you and I don't know your brother but if he kicks off about you saying no to him, you could turn it around and say that you're doing him a favour. If he likes socialising, it'll be easier to entertain in his own place. If he has sex, it'll be easier to have these partners/ons back to his own place, and the only way that he can do any of that is to have his own place so by you saying no, you're helping him have his own place and to be his own man.

TheQueenOfTheNight · 28/07/2021 17:47

Saying no now will set a precedent for the future.

Absolutely! And every time you waver, you have to start from the beginning again with the next "no" feeling like a bigger thing.

The problem is that you're not dealing with a normal situation. Usually you'd want to help someone, but in this case it's not as straightforward as "do you have space in the basement?"

Unfortunately he hasn't yet learned how to look after himself and how to treat the people who help him. You need to deal with him life he's a toddler learning the basics. You've managed to create a lovely family life for yourself, just keep that as your priority.

QueenBee52 · 28/07/2021 17:56

So glad you said No 🎉

TeapotCollection · 28/07/2021 17:58

Cocklodger without the cock 😂

Closetbeanmuncher · 28/07/2021 18:04

If you let him you'll never get rid of him.

He's had a month to sort it but as usual expected someone else to pick up his mess.

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