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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Help needed to feel positive about the future

4 replies

TheDancingHorses · 16/07/2024 21:09

Feeling pretty bleak about the future and am hoping that wise MN’ers can give me some hope/perspective that things will get better. I’ll try and keep the background as brief as I can…

DH and our 3 DC emigrated about 8 years ago. Many reasons for this but one of the main drivers was to live nearer to my sister and mum who had both emigrated a few years earlier, coupled with the fact that DH’s sister had been deeply unpleasant to me and my DS (not DH’s bio son) - spreading untrue lies about us to their family and mutual friends etc. DH didn’t do much to support me and often out his sister’s feelings above mine so yep bit of a DH issue there that’s never really gone away as the feeling of coming second to his sister seems to linger.

Anyway, about 4 years ago it came out from DH that he never really wanted to emigrate and that he only did it cos I forced him to and that his plan was to go back our home town as soon as practicable. I offered to go back there and then but he didn’t want to so now it’s something that’s just kind of hanging there. For context, we have an 11 yo DD and two other children (20 and 21) who have all made good lives and are happy here.

The past 6 months have been hard. My DM passed away after a long and painful battle with dementia. My Dsis was also diagnosed with cancer for the second time in 12 months. My elder DD moved out to live with her partner and has recently found out that she is pregnant which is amazing news but also worrying as she’s young and has only been with her DP for a few months.

We currently live a couple of hours from DD an Dsis and had been talking about moving nearer ever since Dsis got her second diagnosis. It’s a beautiful town with lots to do so would be a great place to move to. I wfh so easy to move and younger DD finishes primary school this year so a good time for her to move. DH has requested wfh in his current job. So, after a crappy time, I’ve been feeling hopefully for a positive change.

DH has just told me that, regardless of what his work say, he doesn’t want to wfh, nor does he want to have to travel or stay over near his work if he has to commute for a few days a month. He’s also reluctant to try and find a new job. So, whatever way I look at it, we’re not going to be moving. For further context, I took a wfh role to make things easier for us as a family, and have spent the last few years travelling to where Dsis lives every couple of weekends as DM also lived there before she passed.

I’m exhausted and struggling to now be positive about the future as the only move I can see us making is when we go back to our home town 1,000s of miles away from DCs and soon to be DGC in a few years.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and please, be gentle, as I’m feeling really low.

OP posts:
Ioverslept · 16/07/2024 21:20

Sorry you are in this situation. I see your point but also feel for your husband, he already followed you all the way to where you are and now he is settled, he is being forced to move again just a little bit further but out of his new comfort zone. I think you need to find out the reasons he is reluctant to change and try to find a compromise. Good luck!

Shielehdie · 16/07/2024 21:30

I wouldn’t under any circumstances move 1000 miles away from my children and grandchildren for the sake of living with a husband who didn’t even have my back when his sister was spreading vile rumours.

I would think very carefully about which family you want to prioritise here. If being close to his kids isn’t a priority for your husband he’ll have to make his own decisions about what is right for him, but it doesn’t mean you have to accept it.

TheDancingHorses · 20/07/2024 21:53

Shielehdie · 16/07/2024 21:30

I wouldn’t under any circumstances move 1000 miles away from my children and grandchildren for the sake of living with a husband who didn’t even have my back when his sister was spreading vile rumours.

I would think very carefully about which family you want to prioritise here. If being close to his kids isn’t a priority for your husband he’ll have to make his own decisions about what is right for him, but it doesn’t mean you have to accept it.

@Shielehdie sorry for not responding earlier, my head’s all over the place. DH and i a conversation about this the other evening and tbh I’m shocked that one of his first reactions to finding out DD is pregnant was to express concerns about what that meant in terms of returning back to our home country.
In all honesty, I won’t move and leave my DC and DGC. If he chooses to go, that’s on him. It’s taken me a good while to stop feeling guilty for ‘forcing’ him to move in the first place as he was a grown man and I gave him plenty of opportunities to say he didn’t want to move and we would’ve stayed put.
I found out this week - by chance - that either his sister or his dad have removed me and DD as friends from his late mother’s fb account. I know it sounds a petty thing to be upset about my his mum was the only member of his family to show me and DC any kindness and it hurts that his other family members have used her to make some sort of pathetic point. Just waiting to see if he says anything to them about it. How he reacts will tell me what I need to know about my relationship and his priorities.

OP posts:
TheDancingHorses · 20/07/2024 21:58

Ioverslept · 16/07/2024 21:20

Sorry you are in this situation. I see your point but also feel for your husband, he already followed you all the way to where you are and now he is settled, he is being forced to move again just a little bit further but out of his new comfort zone. I think you need to find out the reasons he is reluctant to change and try to find a compromise. Good luck!

Edited

@Ioverslept thanks for your post and good wishes. Sorry for not replying earlier. Yep, part of me feels bad for asking for further change. DH was originally on board with the latest planned move and has no objections to living elsewhere - apart from his job, neither of us have any particular ties to where we are currently living.

I’ve started looking round to see if there’s somewhere to live that’s closer to DD and Dsis but that will also be close enough for DH to commute.

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