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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

AIBU to feel I should have been invited? ***edit by MNHQ to say this is a reverse***

632 replies

checkeredboards · 27/10/2024 19:23

I get along well with my in-laws and I always feel included and part of the family. We live about 3 hours away from my family and about 20 minutes away from my PILs. We have a great marriage. Been married for 8 years now. I recently had my PILs and SIL over for cake for my husband's 30th birthday. Well MIL presented him with concert tickets for his birthday and said out loud, "I bought you, your dad, me, and your younger sister concert tickets so we can all go see this band that we all love together in concert yayy." I'm thinking in my head MIL prob just forgot to mention me by name because surely there's no way his mum forgot to include me in this as I would be the only family member left out and we don't have a rocky relationship we get along very well and it would be way out of character for her. But nope she didn't include me. She went on to say how excited she was to do this for the four of them.

My husband was like thanks mum I'm super excited. Which I was pretty pissed at him that he right away didn't stand by me and immediately ask what about my wife. I told him later on that I was pretty pissed because I felt like it's one thing for his parents not to think of and include me but it's a whole other layer of hurt when husband doesn't even think of me. I couldn't help myself and muttered pretty loudly so I could make sure they heard, "thanks for including and thinking of your son's closest family member you know his wife the woman he married." I mentioned that this is very clearly a celebration centered around the four of them and I was going to leave them to it. His mom said how of course I'm part of the celebration and I said well right now it doesn't really feel like I'm part of it. That's the time I felt like my husband should have supported me. I'm the one he married and lives with. He just stood there like a dumb man shrugging his shoulders. Not literally speaking but figuratively speaking.

I felt like if they couldn't afford 5 concert tickets ok fine but there was so many ways around that where I wasn't completely left out. They could have given my husband money towards the concert ticket based on what they could afford and said, "hey for your birthday I want to go to a concert as a family please put this money towards you and your wife's concert ticket." Or they could have made it just a mother son night or a father son not that way not everyone in the family is included but his own wife! Especially like I said this is sooo out of character because his parents are not the type at all to not consider others feelings or how things may look or come across.

AIBU to feel hurt and left out by the actions of my MIL and also even more hurt that my husband wasn't immediately like what the hell what about my wife? I mention MIL specifically because I know she is the present buyer for the family and she is the one who presented the tickets during the celebration. If FIL was the one who bought the family presents and presented the tickets I would have said him instead of MIL.

I feel like MIL was going back in time where their family was just the four of them but now her son is married and family functions should include his wife.

OP posts:
pictoosh · 27/10/2024 20:12

"Hello son, I'm just checking you're free on xx date...or have you already got plans as a husband and wife?"

sprigatito · 27/10/2024 20:12

I wonder how much of your "close relationship" with your MIL is due to the fact that she can't get anywhere near her son without constantly buttering your ego and jumping through hoops.

Have you ever had any talking therapy? I recommend it. You have some unhealthy assumptions about relationships.

AgainandagainandagainSS · 27/10/2024 20:13

I go out all the time with just my mum - should she be inviting DH too? Likewise husband goes to watch cricket with his dad - I would hate to go. Then sometimes yes we do stuff together.

WearyAuldWumman · 27/10/2024 20:13

KrisAkabusi · 27/10/2024 20:02

Everyone says you're being unreasonable. You clearly don't think so considering all your responses, so why bother posting?

Not true. Many, possibly the majority, have said that the OP is being unreasonable. Others have agreed that she's right to feel hurt.

morinaga · 27/10/2024 20:14

I’m with you OP in that I would feel very hurt and left out. I wouldn’t have said anything there and then though, and I wouldn’t have taken it out on my husband. It isn’t his fault. I would reevaluate my relationship with my MIL though. You’re not as close as you think you are, or she would have included you.

EPankhurst · 27/10/2024 20:14

checkeredboards · 27/10/2024 20:06

I think what also hurts me deeply is considering my close relationship with my PILs it didn't even cross their mind to let me know what they were doing for my husband beforehand. Like they were completely tone deaf to how this may have come across to present this in front of me and list out in front of me who is all invited. It's almost like announcing hey we are all invited BUT you.

I feel like if MIL pulled me aside given our close relationship and said something along the lines of, "hey we love you very much but for old times sake I wanted to do something just FIL, son, and daughter I didn't want you to feel we don't value you as part of our family or you to be caught off guard when we came to your house and presented this." I would have felt a lot better about the whole thing. But I felt so blindsided by this and I lashed out of my hurt feelings.

I think I'm going to reach out individually to my MIL and basically state to her what I said above that I felt blindsided and not being given a heads up surprised me.

I'm sorry but I really do think you are blowing this up out of all proportion. I don't think its reasonable that you want MIL to pull you to one side to apologise for excluding you so that they can do a one off thing with their adult children only.

You are part of their family, because you married into it.

You will never be and shouldn't be offended to not be, part of the family unit that is two parents and their two adult children. You didn't grow up in their house, you don't have the shared nuclear family relationship that they do, just like they aren't in your marriage and your family unit if you have children, even though they are still close family. It is healthy and normal for them to want to spend time as just their own nuclear family unit, just occasionally, even when the children are adults and are married.

It's not really healthy or normal to expect your H to spend absolutely all of his social life with you.

Unless this is the latest in a long line of them deliberately leaving your out of things and making you uncomfortable, for the good of your marriage and your relationship with your in-laws, please let it go.

checkeredboards · 27/10/2024 20:15

sprigatito · 27/10/2024 20:12

I wonder how much of your "close relationship" with your MIL is due to the fact that she can't get anywhere near her son without constantly buttering your ego and jumping through hoops.

Have you ever had any talking therapy? I recommend it. You have some unhealthy assumptions about relationships.

What do you mean by jumping through hoops and buttering my ego? She acts close and loving to me. So are you saying our closeness is all in my head? Not sure what you mean so if you could further clarify not trying to sound rude

OP posts:
LauderSyme · 27/10/2024 20:15

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

TeenLifeMum · 27/10/2024 20:15

This is so weird to me. Married for 20 years but mil totally has the right to do something for dh’s birthday that’s just for them and doesn’t have to include me. It’s his birthday, not yours.

Bigearringsbigsmile · 27/10/2024 20:16

His mum literally grew him! And then she spent years and years raising him to be the man you love. He has a whole history with his family.
But now you are are on the scene none of that matters because you need to be present at all times because you are his WIFE!!!!

Ineedanewsofa · 27/10/2024 20:17

Wow! I can understand being a bit put out that they didn’t invite you (it would have rankled with me too) but your subsequent posts make it sound like you think marriage makes you one person not two and that individual interests should be left at the altar which is bonkers!
Please OP, stop defining yourself by your marital status (we get it, you’re his wife!) and find other things to found yourself on as you can become an ex wife almost as quickly…

Feellikeafailurenow · 27/10/2024 20:17

checkeredboards · 27/10/2024 20:10

Also it's odd to just buy something and assume we are free that night. They didn't even give me a heads up or check with me that we didn't have plans as husband and wife.

What are you five?!

they were a family before you & could always be a family after you. Yabu especially if its one off & they normally make an effort with you & more so if it is a big birthday. You need to grow up a bit & stop expecting your husband to fall out with his parents over nothing

Chimbos · 27/10/2024 20:17

I agree this is odd. Surely if anyone SIL should be left out? Is it a number limit issue? (E.g you can only buy 4 tickets due to high demand )?

Nearlyamumoftwo · 27/10/2024 20:17

@checkeredboards kindly, you're being unreasonable. I'm going to assume you don't have children. If you did, you would realise how important and wonderful it would be to go out "as a family of 4" when your children are grown up, without inlaws.

TheHighPriestess1 · 27/10/2024 20:17

pictoosh · 27/10/2024 20:12

"Hello son, I'm just checking you're free on xx date...or have you already got plans as a husband and wife?"

Maybe MIL did but DH is terrified by lunatic wife to say

Candaceowens · 27/10/2024 20:18

Can you just clarify OP, are you married? Like are you his wife?

SouthLondonMum22 · 27/10/2024 20:19

Candaceowens · 27/10/2024 20:18

Can you just clarify OP, are you married? Like are you his wife?

Great idea! It isn’t very clear.

Feellikeafailurenow · 27/10/2024 20:19

Candaceowens · 27/10/2024 20:18

Can you just clarify OP, are you married? Like are you his wife?

🤣

chaosmaker · 27/10/2024 20:19

@checkeredboards are you and your husband different cultures?

TheHighPriestess1 · 27/10/2024 20:19

Candaceowens · 27/10/2024 20:18

Can you just clarify OP, are you married? Like are you his wife?

🤣🤣🤣

Easipeelerie · 27/10/2024 20:20

Come on everyone, surely you can see that MIL announcing it at the OP’s house during a celebration OP had invited her to, is a bit mean.
Yes of course he can go to a gig without his wife, but that’s not exactly what this is about. MIL was either very thoughtless or unkind to announce it in this way.

AmberAlert86 · 27/10/2024 20:20

YABU
Also, why do you ask for opinions on here if then you carry on with repeating your narrative.

purplebeansprouts · 27/10/2024 20:20

In all seriousness I had an ex like this who'd make all fun events a negative and about himself. Turned me against my own family. Everyone told me to leave him. Took me 4 years to listen

Hopelessinhomecounties · 27/10/2024 20:20

YABVU
i don’t think you’ve tried to empathise with anyone else in this situation … particularly your husband
You don’t mention your husbands birthday.
if I was you husband I’d be really pissed off that you made a scene at my birthday and drove a divide in the family on his special occasion. It’s very about you. It’s no a big deal to organise a party for his 30th. You sound like you want praise for it?
His mum didn’t deliberately leave you out. She bought some concert tickets for their immediate family for a milestone birthday - that’s ok.
It would have been nice to be invited and maybe you could have mentioned it later but the way you behaved is so awkward.

Bestyearever2024 · 27/10/2024 20:20

This reply has been deleted

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