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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Husbands family

11 replies

Alwaysputupon · 17/07/2023 13:06

Hi, I met my husband eleven years ago. I spent my life alone for almost 15 yrs, not even a date, I had a frugile life, saved, brought a son up on my own without ex s help or maintenance and paid everything off. My husband and his ex wife of 23 yrs had spent and spent and ended up with nothing despite good jobs and no children. She left him just after his mother died. I accepted my husband had nothing from the offset but through love and hard work my husband changed and we live within our means and we don't have debt. However his father was still alive and wanted taking care off, he didn't need anything, he has enough money and good health but he wanted to be taken out for meals daily and holidays. He contributed nothing. He never even paid for a cup of coffee once. Then he wanted us to take his son who doesn't work, his daughter in law, his own girlfriend, his daughter again who doesn't work, and her brood etc. It nearly broke us and we argued as they were nasty horrible people. We decided to move in together to create some distance but my husband can't say no to his dad. His dad then insisted my husband didn't move in with me in case one day he needed an actual carer. I lived a little away from them. He said he wasn't going to pay for one. My husband and I did all his cleaning etc even though he is capable. We bought him a TV, hoover etc if anything broke down. My husband decided to move anyway. Then his father started bullying me and encouraged all his friends and family to do likewise. It nearly broke us as at first my husband couldn't see it. My husband was then offered a new job, he took it, as he then accepted his family were bullying me and were spending all our disposable income and some. But this took almost three years for my husband to accept this was going on. His father objected as my husband would have to move again further away from him. In the end my husband took the job. His father rung us threatening us regularly full of resentment. He lied about us to anyone who would listen and as he was old people believed him. We walked away, we had to or go insane. I felt like I was having a breakdown. His father also attempted to drag us into a criminal activity with his eldest son. This was the straw that broke the camels back and opened my husbands eyes fully. We didn't see them for over 5 yrs. Then his fathers eldest son got caught in criminal activity so his father rung us saying he had alzeimers and needed help because his eldest son wanted his money and he felt at risk. Like fools we rushed over to help. They all bullied us at the visit including the dad. They told us he was moving in with them but we must take him out and provide him with holidays. We walked away again but only after my husband took them all out for a slap up meal. Then a few weeks later, my husbands sister died, her daughter rang us, we took her to the funeral bought her a ring to remember her mother by but she constantly rang us from 7.30 at morning until 2 am for three weeks saying we had to look after her grand dad. She has bi polar. It turned out the eldest son had put her up to it. We blocked her as I couldn't take it anymore. We cut them all off again. A couple of months later, Now his 2nd cousin rings. She lives an hr and a half away. She has a lot of money but refuses to pay for the upkeep of her house. She's keeping it all for her favourite nephew in new Zealand. In the last 4 months after work my husband and I have cut her hedges, fixed her dog fence, fixed her drive gates, painted her ceilings and fixed her floorboards, cleaned the filth, jetwashed and sealed her drives, fixed her patio, paid for meals, took her on outings and now she's arranged for us to pay for a five star 80th birthday meal for her brother and family. She also wants my husband to take her to new Zealand at Christmas to see her beloved nephew and for me to mind her dogs which means driving 3 hrs a day. Not to mention spending Christmas without him and the cost. He says she's lonely and he wants her to be with her family. BTW he's never going to be in the will or his dads so thats not his motive. I love my husband but I cant take any more. He needs to be liked by them so badly. To top it all off the 2nd cousins brothers wife has alzeimers, the 2nd cousin has informed me that if anything happens to her brother we will be taking care of his wife as she isn't going to. The nephew in new Zealand hasn't said how he will contribute to taking care of his mother. My husband says he has no family left and wants me to keep looking after the 2nd cousin and paying. He says before i came along he had a good relationship with them all. Bearing in mind I've never had a birthday meal out, not even a card in eleven years. I resent paying for his second cousins brothers birthday meal and dont want to go. All they do is insult me and berate me. I'm being investigated for autism. The 2nd cousin tells me I'm odd, I speak oddly and I'm interfering if I have an opinion. And I dont dress right and have a high forehead. She's an ex teacher. I'm thoroughly fed up of it all. I work hard. I went through all this drama while dealing with cancer. I scrubbed floors, cleaned carpets and climbed work surfaces while on my last legs some days. I just want a break but my husband won't stop being his familys dogsbody and if I object we argue. I have objected strongly to the meal and offered a gift voucher towards it but not attend but he wants to go for the birthday on his own but we will pay for it. Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 17/07/2023 13:26

If this is real I'd say run for the hills

Justcallmebebes · 17/07/2023 13:39

I've honestly never read anything so batshit. You have random relatives, you haven't see for years, insisting you do their house maintenance, take them to NZ and out for slap up meals? Most bizarre

I'd be moving to the other end of the country

Justcallmebebes · 17/07/2023 13:41

Oh and I'd ditch the DH before I left

ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 17/07/2023 13:42

This bit makes me think 'nah'

To top it all off the 2nd cousins brothers wife has alzeimers

Can't be real

billy1966 · 17/07/2023 13:43

Unbelievable.

Get away from them all, including your husband who has brought nothing but stress to your life.

Nevermind31 · 17/07/2023 13:47

You are the problem here - why would you be taken advantage of again and again?
you don’t have to pay for anything. You don’t have to look after them. You don’t even have to mix with them.
make sure you keep your finances ring fenced if your husband can’t say no, and just say NO. say it once and never look back

Aquamarine1029 · 17/07/2023 13:53

Get a divorce, FFS. As quickly as possible.

Meeting · 17/07/2023 14:06

Sounds unbearable OP, have you asked him why he won't put you first?

Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 17/07/2023 14:09

This is really weird. Just stop allowing yourself to be taken advantage of by all these random relatives.

if your husband simply must help them out then separate your finances so that it’s not your money being spent. Or leave him. He seems like he has an unhealthy relationship with them all.

Alwaysputupon · 17/07/2023 17:29

Hi, l can assure you its all true. I was ill when I met my husband and he helped me through it. However I feel I've helped him through a lot also. I just want some peace and not to have anything to do with these selfish people. But I also feel I owe my husband. I cant understand why he let's them treat him like this, or me. In honesty, I dont seek out company and never have so I fail to understand him. Reading your replies has helped and I dont think its my lack of wanting to be a part of his family but their selfish behaviour causing so much stress. I will walk, I suppose its his choice if he joins me. I cant remember a happy day or one where I wasn't thinking about what they say about me or how they treat me.

OP posts:
ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 19/07/2023 16:16

Then you know what to do!

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