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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Not helping my dsis with her SN child

440 replies

Ghostedbyfriend · 21/08/2023 22:54

Not UK based, but would go back for one month during the summer. During the summer holidays,I have watched the children of other siblings. Took one NT niece for 5 days to our summer cottage, and another NT niece for 4 days whilst the siblings worked. We have children ourselves.
One sibling who is a single mum has a SN child (10), non verbal with challenging behaviour. Said child gets daytime support whilst my dsis works, however she thinks I am being unfair as summer cottage would be more fun. But I explained that I couldn’t keep my SN niece safe, because she’s a darter and she does not listen. When she was younger and smaller I would watch her for 3-4 days, but now that she’s more grown and larger (overweight) I can’t simply lift her out of “situations”. Sibling acts all hurt her child is being excluded from fun and not treated equally. In my defence, I did watch her over one weekend to give my dsis respite, but apparently that was not enough as I did not take her to the cottage. I watched her at my mother’s house, whilst my dm was busy with gardening and cooking etc (she usually watches my SN niece during the weekend).
Whenever I watch SN niece, my DH has to take full charge of our DCs as SN niece needs 110% attention, it’s simply not fair on my DH, my kids are primary aged. For example when I was talking to dsis over a cup of tea, my niece took a glass she was drinking from and threw it on the tiled floor shattering glasses everywhere. She threw it on purpose, for attention I think.
Yet, my dsis thinks I am being unreasonable for not giving her one week of respite (she thinks watching her child at night is a lot of work)… My DH has put his foot down, he asked me not to bring my SN niece to the cottage as she’s a lot of work and disturbs our family dynamic whereas the other nieces play well with our DCs.
I do feel very guilty of not helping my sis out but I also feel my DH won’t be able to cope. It’s our holiday after all. So AIBU?

OP posts:
Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 23/08/2023 19:48

Pollyputhekettleon · 23/08/2023 19:44

If you had actually read it you would not be claiming that people are saying she has 'too much' of a break. And you would understand perfectly well why they're saying the DM is doing too much. I think some of you are reading things that aren't there because you're having extreme and irrational emotional reactions to this so can't stop imposing your own situation where it doesn't apply.

But why is the dm doing 'to much' , from someone who has no idea what it takes to look after a disabled child with high needs, so high that her aunt finds it too difficult, why do u decide and other that the dm is doing too much? I know what it's like to care for a disabled child as I have one. My mum also helps me. I would think in the situation I obviously have a good idea, And its incredibly patranisong to be dismissed as projecting !

Ohthatsabitshit · 23/08/2023 19:51

Cross post @Pollyputhekettleon yes I totally agree let’s not interact.

OleMioSole · 23/08/2023 19:53

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 23/08/2023 19:37

I have read the whole thread. The parents of SN children especially with children that need 24/7 care know what it's like to have their children constantly. I'm not nessasery agreeing with the mum of child. She shouldn't go to the cottage unless she would go to and I understand she said no. So she does sound unreasonable, however I don't like the comments on here referring to the 'break' she has as too much or somehow the mum is giving 'too much'. And I'm also not surprised the mum has mental health issues , this life isn't easy and my mental health has took nose dive since having my daughter.

But she doesn't. That's the point people are making.
She doesn't have her child constantly.

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 23/08/2023 19:58

OleMioSole · 23/08/2023 19:53

But she doesn't. That's the point people are making.
She doesn't have her child constantly.

Nor do I! She has a break she is entitled to a break. I'm not saying the OP should look after her. I dont think she should as it impact her family and she has to think of them. I just don't belive we have right to decide what's too much of a break is, when u have disabled child that need 24/7 care!

OleMioSole · 23/08/2023 19:58

Also @Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 I don't think people are saying the sis has it easy.
However a lot of people are laying it on thick, saying SN parents are isolated blah and it's a lonely journey.
Maybe that's true for a lot of you. But OP's sister has her DM, who seems to do quite a bit.

So OP's sister is being U to guilt trip her. That's all.

Especially as she wants 'a week' of respite. What OP can give is not enough for her.

Ohthatsabitshit · 23/08/2023 19:59

It sounds like she cares for her child or is at work all week unless she is exhausted in which case her dm helps, and them dm and her husband take her for the weekend so dsis can catch up. We know her mh has been effected so perhaps that’s all she can manage. It’s the majority of the care though and there’s quite a lot extra that is needed to organise for a child with such high needs.

Ohthatsabitshit · 23/08/2023 20:01

However a lot of people are laying it on thick, saying SN parents are isolated blah and it's a lonely journey. do you really think this is what people are doing when they try to explain what it’s like? Honestly that’s so awful.

Justontherightsideofnormal · 23/08/2023 20:01

Does your dsis get rest-bite for DN. I’m assuming she is based in uk (correct me if I’m wrong) and if applied for she may get 3 nights 4x or more per year. Although it’s not a massive amount it will give her a break

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 23/08/2023 20:01

OleMioSole · 23/08/2023 19:58

Also @Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 I don't think people are saying the sis has it easy.
However a lot of people are laying it on thick, saying SN parents are isolated blah and it's a lonely journey.
Maybe that's true for a lot of you. But OP's sister has her DM, who seems to do quite a bit.

So OP's sister is being U to guilt trip her. That's all.

Especially as she wants 'a week' of respite. What OP can give is not enough for her.

*However a lot of people are laying it on thick, saying SN parents are isolated blah and it's a lonely journey.

Maybe that's true for a lot of you*
A lot of people are certainly not 'laying it on thick' it's actually outrageous u would suggest that!
Anyone who talks about the isolation and lonlness is being trueful I know it as I feel it too! That's a terrible assumption to make and shows what SN have to go through!

OleMioSole · 23/08/2023 20:11

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 23/08/2023 20:01

*However a lot of people are laying it on thick, saying SN parents are isolated blah and it's a lonely journey.

Maybe that's true for a lot of you*
A lot of people are certainly not 'laying it on thick' it's actually outrageous u would suggest that!
Anyone who talks about the isolation and lonlness is being trueful I know it as I feel it too! That's a terrible assumption to make and shows what SN have to go through!

But that's the thing. They are not the SN parents!
The SN parents (including you) have overwhelmingly said that the OP is not U.
It is mostly people who are not (I'd presume they'd have said it, especially after several pages, if they were SN parents as it gives them more credibility) who are saying all that and that OP is being very U.
Quite the opposite, eh?

And again, you may find this selfish and cruel, you may not (since you said OP wasn't U). But if my sibling was all alone struggling with a SN kid 24/7 I would certainly give up a week of my holiday to look after her FT. If I could give her at least one break, I would.

But in this situation where she gets weekends to herself, gets to go on a few holidays a year and a lot of family support already. Would I be so inclined to give up my holiday? No.

Again, up to you as to whether that makes me cruel, and judgy, if I am willing to do it I should do it for every situation right? But that's not how I feel. and that's what people are trying to articulate.

Btw what everyone else has ignored is that the siblings matter too. Especially when all the focus is on the SN child. How many holidays and days away do they get to go on, just for them? Probably not many.

Surely the sister should recognise that too and be happy that her other children are getting some respite too. Having a SN sibling must be hard on them too, not just for her as a parent.

jacks11 · 23/08/2023 20:16

I think some people are unfairly ripping OP to shreds here.

I don’t think she has said her sister gets “too many breaks”- she has outlined that her sister has quite a lot of support with her daughter so this is not about a single mum trying to do it all alone, desperate for a break that she never gets. That’s quite a different thing. As it happens- assuming OP is being truthful- I actually think her sister is being unreasonable to push so much onto their mother, who is also working full time. She is also being unreasonable to demand that her daughter is treated exactly like all other children in the family- it’s simply not always possible.

OP has outlined that her niece gets daytime support from the LA during the working week during the school holidays, so doesn’t have childcare issues during holidays. She also explained that their mother (the child’s grandmother) has the child all weekend many (? Most or every) weeks, and also has her several nights per week. Their father makes sure he is available if she cannot attend school/care as she is sick and for hospital appointments. In addition, they have their granddaughter for at least one week per year to allow OP’s sister to go on holiday alone. I’m not saying this is too much, OP hasn’t said it’s “too much”, though she does worry about her mum as she is still working full time but also taking her granddaughter several nights per weeks AND at weekends. It sounds as though their mother does as much, if not more, care for the child as op’s sister. OP is (rightly) concerned about how fair that is. She is concerned because she has been told that her sister was angry and unkind to their parents when they decided to go on holiday themselves, which has made her mother too apprehensive to take another break herself. That is unfair. It also means that they seldom get time with their other grandchildren, which is also really unfair to both the grandparents and the other grandchildren.

Then you take in the holiday to the cottage. OP has outlined that as her niece has got older she has become bigger and stronger. OP is no longer able to physically restrain her if she runs off (something she does) or pick her up to remove her from a dangerous situation. She finds it stressful having to look after her, she requires very watchful attention. She feels that she would not be able to keep her safe if they went away and her niece started trying to run or throw things. She also just wants a nice break with her family, without the stress of it all. Her DH also does not want the stress and would like to spend time with his wife and children on holiday. None of this is unreasonable, especially when it is taken into account that them not taking their niece will not mean that her sister will have to forego her only break this year (when I’d say perhaps how they could work together to get get a break would be the nicer thing to do).

In addition, OP did offer to take her sister and niece with them. This did not meet with sisters approval because other children had been taken without their parents. Now, either this is a cover for her wanting her daughter taken away so she has an additional break, or it is an unrealistic expectation that her daughter can be treated exactly the same as other children in every circumstance- which is clearly not possible. Either way, she’s being unreasonable. I’m not saying I don’t have sympathy with her, especially in terms of being upset when she sees family interacting differently with her child than others in the family, but it doesn’t make her demands right or fair.

surely, it has to be unreasonable to demand your sister take your child with SN on holiday, when they have said they don’t think they can cope for a whole week because they’ve found her behaviour more difficult to manage this year than previously, if only because she is physically bigger and stronger? Why would you want to put your child or your sister in that position?

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 23/08/2023 20:21

OleMioSole · 23/08/2023 20:11

But that's the thing. They are not the SN parents!
The SN parents (including you) have overwhelmingly said that the OP is not U.
It is mostly people who are not (I'd presume they'd have said it, especially after several pages, if they were SN parents as it gives them more credibility) who are saying all that and that OP is being very U.
Quite the opposite, eh?

And again, you may find this selfish and cruel, you may not (since you said OP wasn't U). But if my sibling was all alone struggling with a SN kid 24/7 I would certainly give up a week of my holiday to look after her FT. If I could give her at least one break, I would.

But in this situation where she gets weekends to herself, gets to go on a few holidays a year and a lot of family support already. Would I be so inclined to give up my holiday? No.

Again, up to you as to whether that makes me cruel, and judgy, if I am willing to do it I should do it for every situation right? But that's not how I feel. and that's what people are trying to articulate.

Btw what everyone else has ignored is that the siblings matter too. Especially when all the focus is on the SN child. How many holidays and days away do they get to go on, just for them? Probably not many.

Surely the sister should recognise that too and be happy that her other children are getting some respite too. Having a SN sibling must be hard on them too, not just for her as a parent.

Noone SN parent or not when they say SN is isolating and lonely is 'laying it on thick' they are saying facts. Because it is.

Ur not being cruel and Judgy by saying u wouldn't help ur being cruel and judgy by implying parents lay it on thick.

I'm sure the op has said she doesn't have a sibling

Jeannie88 · 23/08/2023 20:22

As a parent of child with SEN I've never expected or put other people in a position of looking after him as I know how difficult it is. We've accepted we can't do these things due to unpredictable behaviour etc and tbh we wouldn't feel comfortable with it either as we have learnt how to deal with the issues but most people wouldn't be able to so no he wouldn't be safe and neither would they, in the meaning of being vigilant, running away, understanding the underlying reasons for negative behaviour etc.

So no YANBU, surely she can understand this? Now our son is getting older and becoming more mature and able to vocalise his problems we are starting to trust a few hours with other family members, baby steps.

Think it's helped me to write this as well, phew! Xx

Gendercritic · 23/08/2023 20:27

This is a sad situation but it's not your responsibility and there are safeguarding issues for your DN plus the impact on your own family. Your DS needs to be organising formal respite. Do not allow her to guilt trip you. Of course you can not give an experience similar to that you offer your other siblings children - the needs and demands are not the same.

Fbearsmum · 23/08/2023 20:46

ExtraOnions · 21/08/2023 23:05

She’s your sister, she lives with that pressure 24 hours a day, 7 days of week … of course she is desperate for a break.
Me ? I would do it for a week, and be thankful that for the other 51 weeks of the year, I wasn’t having to manage that behaviour

It's not that simple, my sons ND and its a whole different parenting than with a NT child.

salsmum · 23/08/2023 23:09

I'm visiting my DS and DIL next week I have 3 GS twin 6 year olds and an 8 year old. I've told the parents to go on at least 1 date night... yes they are well behaved but are still a handful but I know that they'd love a night out or two and I will recover. BTW I have an adult DD with sever SN my respite break is the first one in a year of caring for my DD 24-7 on my own. Your own DCs will learn how to accept others with SN if you explain why DN acts that way. Ask DS what her DD triggers are so that you can be prepared and hopefully avoid behaviours. You cannot believe the everyday stuff that many take for granted how much it's denied for a SN parent. My DD is 34 and I still have a baby monitor on at night in case she needs turning etc... I can't tell you how valuable a break is to those who need it so desperately.

Yellownotblue · 23/08/2023 23:57

There’s a lot of window dressing here, but the bottom line is that you are not confident you can keep DN safe, and that has to be paramount, no matter your DSis’s hurt feelings.

Perhaps I can chip in with my own experience: DNephew (young adult) has severe mental health problems and has been under psychiatric care for years. Before Christmas, DSis (DN’s mum) caught Covid and was extremely poorly. This coincided with DN’s mental health taking a dip. DN asked if he could come and spend two weeks with us (we live in different countries, long haul flights). I said yes as I wanted to give DSis a break over Xmas to recover, and I love my DN, we are reasonably close. I knew he had severe depression, and I thought I could handle that.

Except he had much more severe issues. And he decided to stop his medication while he was with us. What followed was like a horror movie as he descended in full psychosis, ransacked my house, tried to poison my dog, and scared my kids (unintentionally, he loves them and wouldn’t hurt them but was hearing voices and it was scary for all of us). Eventually I had to ask my BIL to come over and fly him back home as he was a danger to himself and would have to be sectioned otherwise.

Thankfully he is making a good recovery, although there have been lots of scary times in the last few months. But I’m sharing my experience to show that good intentions are not enough. I wanted to give DSis respite by taking DN, but I was totally unprepared for what followed when he went into crisis. It was traumatic for all of us. It could have been much worse.

OP, YANBU not to be prepared to take on this responsibility to the detriment of your family, when you can’t guarantee your DN’s safety. Don’t feel guilty about it. You are doing the right thing.

Silverfoxette · 24/08/2023 00:53

Perfectlystill · 21/08/2023 23:56

If I were you I would recognise that that sister needed help more than any other sibling and I would help her.

I agree

CherryMaDeara · 24/08/2023 07:08

salsmum · 23/08/2023 23:09

I'm visiting my DS and DIL next week I have 3 GS twin 6 year olds and an 8 year old. I've told the parents to go on at least 1 date night... yes they are well behaved but are still a handful but I know that they'd love a night out or two and I will recover. BTW I have an adult DD with sever SN my respite break is the first one in a year of caring for my DD 24-7 on my own. Your own DCs will learn how to accept others with SN if you explain why DN acts that way. Ask DS what her DD triggers are so that you can be prepared and hopefully avoid behaviours. You cannot believe the everyday stuff that many take for granted how much it's denied for a SN parent. My DD is 34 and I still have a baby monitor on at night in case she needs turning etc... I can't tell you how valuable a break is to those who need it so desperately.

But the sister is getting a break - every weekend! Plus entire holidays without her daughter.

I think people really need to stop projecting their own experiences on to OP’s situation, it’s entirely unhelpful to OP.

CherryMaDeara · 24/08/2023 07:13

Rainbowsandbutterflies1990 · 23/08/2023 19:48

But why is the dm doing 'to much' , from someone who has no idea what it takes to look after a disabled child with high needs, so high that her aunt finds it too difficult, why do u decide and other that the dm is doing too much? I know what it's like to care for a disabled child as I have one. My mum also helps me. I would think in the situation I obviously have a good idea, And its incredibly patranisong to be dismissed as projecting !

Because any rational person can see this is unreally unhealthy situation for OP’s mum and dad because they’re doing too much. Look at the facts:

  • DN is at her grandparents at least 3 nights per week
  • DM still works full time
  • DM and DF hardly go on holidays as Dsis has a go at them if they’re unavailable
  • DM and DF have DN for week/s when Dsis is on holiday twice a year

How can you say this is not too much? Like others you’re projecting your own situation here.

Pollyputhekettleon · 24/08/2023 07:23

CherryMaDeara · 24/08/2023 07:08

But the sister is getting a break - every weekend! Plus entire holidays without her daughter.

I think people really need to stop projecting their own experiences on to OP’s situation, it’s entirely unhelpful to OP.

This thread should be locked at this point or something.

MissTrip82 · 24/08/2023 07:23

If you don’t feel confident you can keep your niece safe, you can’t do it. It’s a shame
for everyone.

Must say I’m impressed by the number of respite caters on this thread - at least I assume that’s what they are, given they’re so keen to volunteer your time, fully understand what it takes, and judge you for not doing so…….

Timeisallwehave · 24/08/2023 07:31

I’m sure she would have appreciated the break and it’s disappointing. No obligation by you, I have more than one child with one similar sounding to your dsis. It’s not easy managing multiple, my friends who do help provide respite (although I am always there so not full respite but help I’d say). They have always described my SEN child as like four children in one.

It is hard to see your child being excluded from things and seen as hard work, although you know they are. However you can choose to offer support or not at detriment to you.

Casiotoad · 24/08/2023 07:43

It seems to me that the problem is that your sister is conflating ‘holiday’ with ‘respite’. I don’t think you should lose your holiday to look after her child because it’s not fair on your own kids OR hers if you’re not able to provide the attention she needs!

maybe your DH can take the kids when you’re back home and you could stay with your sister for a while and provide actual respite?

I do feel for your sister as it must be relentless and I expect she’s desperate but I too would resent this situation - our own time with kids is so precious and even worse for your DH as it’s not his family that must make him resent it all the more despite best intentions

Pollyputhekettleon · 24/08/2023 07:45

Casiotoad · 24/08/2023 07:43

It seems to me that the problem is that your sister is conflating ‘holiday’ with ‘respite’. I don’t think you should lose your holiday to look after her child because it’s not fair on your own kids OR hers if you’re not able to provide the attention she needs!

maybe your DH can take the kids when you’re back home and you could stay with your sister for a while and provide actual respite?

I do feel for your sister as it must be relentless and I expect she’s desperate but I too would resent this situation - our own time with kids is so precious and even worse for your DH as it’s not his family that must make him resent it all the more despite best intentions

Seriously, people who haven't read the thread have to stop posting here. Someone even summarized the actual situation on either this page or the last one so you wouldn't need to read the entire thing.

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