Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU Christmas cancelled - family fall out

1000 replies

Whiteoleander2 · 14/12/2025 10:07

Background - we changed our lifestyle and DSs last year, there's specific foods now our DS are not allowed especially not regular and not without permission from us first. Last year just before Christmas we found out my mum and my grandad had been giving DS specific foods he was not allowed and also telling him not to tell us and lie. OH banned them from Christmas day, they visited Christmas eve eve instead to do gifts and they flew to Spain for Christmas and new year. It took quite some time afterwards to build up the trust, they swore it wouldn't happen again. Well we was all planned and ready for Christmas. Mum was going to cook at mine and host grandad too. Well OH had suspected for some time that my mum or grandad had been feeding DS things he's not allowed. DS kept denying it when asked but OH said he can tell when DS is lying. I even asked my mum multiple times to her face and she kept telling me she hadn't given him anything. I've been backing my mum and grandad to my OH insisting they haven't and it's now come out they have been doing it for the past 3/4 months and again telling DS not to tell us and keep it a secret. I'm obviously upset/disappointed and OH is even more annoyed. I've had to cancel Christmas dinner at mine with them but feel really sad, not about my grandad as we aren't close and he recently shouted at me over a meal out because he doesn't agree with said food choices for our DS which are nothing to do with him and I find it extremely rude he started shouting at me in the middle of a restaurant but I feel sad about my mum. OH thinks I should just let them give presents at the door and not even let them in the house and he doesn't want DS to see my mum for a year (our son was doing a lot better previously not seeing my mum/grandad) his focus, behavior, attitude all changed and improved but he does enjoy seeing them both. I obviously don't trust my mum alone with my DS anymore. They'd recently booked to take DS abroad next year which I've had to tell DS he won't be going now. In part it is DS fault too, he's 9 and knows he shouldn't be eating those foods nor lying to us.
AIBU to have cancelled Christmas with them?
WWYD in this situation?
How do I move forward with my mum or do I not?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
C152 · 14/12/2025 12:00

Oh dear, @Whiteoleander2 ...you're trapped in a very difficult situation. What do you see as a long term solution to the issue (which is your controlling DH; not your mother)?

Of course it's frustrating when grandparents do things they see as reasonable, which a child's parents don't allow - giving treats seems to be a bugbear of many. But I don't think this is worth banishment unless it's actually life threatening. I also hear what you're saying about feeling even more alone, as now you feel your mother can't be a support for you - she can. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face. A disagreement over diet doesn't mean she won't do whatever she can to help you in times of need.

Your child isn't diabetic. Have you worked with a paediatrician and specialist dietician on daily menu options? 9 year old boys need between 1400 and 2000 calories a day, depending on their activity levels. Is this restricted diet giving your DS the minimum number of calories required to ensure he grows and develops as he should? If you're not eating a restricted diet because of specific medical advice, then I would suggest to your DH that, you agree, eating healthily is very important and you should all, therefore, seek qualified, professional guidance. I think I would book an initial GP appointment for yourself, OP, and discuss in private the issues with your husband and food. I suspect it's the tip of the iceberg...you've even intimated that you recognise your husband is trying to isolate you from your family by looking for reasons to not have them in the house/visit for Christmas.

GhislaineDeFeligondeRose · 14/12/2025 12:00

Punkerplus · 14/12/2025 11:46

Are your children following this diet too? No vegetables, fruit or carbohydrates for growing children. Children shouldn't be following such restrictive diets, it's borderline abusive and neglectful.

If that's what they are eating then I'd say chocolate is the LEAST of your worries.

I agree. Awful

DuchessDandelion · 14/12/2025 12:00

There are two issues here, I think.

One is that your mum is letting him have chocolate and keeping it from you
Two is that your partner seems very controlling. You were "expected" to eat "clean" when you were pregnant(!)

I would be furious if mum my was undermining me in this way, yes, but it's only a little chocolate not alcohol (for perspective) and I wouldn't throw away the relationship for it.

What you've said about your partner makes me see her actions in a different light too.

No one has the right to enforce a style of eating on any adult as he has done you. You say he's never liked your parents and doesn't want you to see them, even before this kicked off. These are major red flags and he's ticking some key boxes of coercive abuse.

In light of that, I wonder if your mum is probably trying to counterbalance the control he exerts over you and your children and whether it's misguided or not I would forgive her.

Under no circumstances would I allow a rift to develop with your family here. For your own sake.

Please read up on coercive control and other forms of abuse:

Some common examples of coercive behaviour are:

  • Isolating you from friends and family
  • depriving you of basic needs eg food
  • monitoring your time
  • monitoring you via online communication tools or skyward
  • taking control of aspects of your daily life such as what you wear, where you go, who you can see, when you can sleep and what you can eat
  • depriving you of access to support services eg medical help
  • repeatedly putting you down eg telling you that you are worthless
  • controlling your finances
  • humiliating you, degrading you, dehumanising you
  • making threats and intimating you

Other common forms of coercive control include emotional manipulation such as:

  • you wouldn't do this / you would do that if you loved me
  • claims that your actions or attempts to establish boundaries result in them feeling suicidal or threatening self harm (they may act out some of this)
Sliverreindeer · 14/12/2025 12:01

Whiteoleander2 · 14/12/2025 11:08

Yes he's the dad to both of my DS. Other DS is only 10 months though so is only just starting to eat where as older son had a varied diet for the first 8 years until OH decided to change his and wanted everyone else to follow. DS gets no say. OH motto is if you're hungry enough you'll eat it.

And your going to let your DH ruin your relationship with your mum???
You will need your mum ,when you realise your DH is massively controlling you and your boys and you decide to leave him.
Don't cut of the support you are clearly going to need at some point in the future

HereforonedayonlytoavoidStrangerThingsspoilers · 14/12/2025 12:01

Gettingbysomehow · 14/12/2025 11:58

My grandparents feeding me crap throughout my childhood was what caused my binge eating disorders and gross obesity. NOT the normal diet my mother gave me. Some of the responses on here are seriously weird. Surely we all know the lifelong damage highly processed diets caused but sadly nearly everyone chooses to ignore that and look at the result. Grossly fat people everywhere and an explosion of diabetes.

Maybe read the entire thread – this is NOT about contraband chocolate.

SoLongLuminosity · 14/12/2025 12:01

Is there any way that your mum believes your son is now very unhappy (generally living at home) and she's trying to buffer him from some of the upset he feels about this new dynamic?

Your son was happier before.

So unless you are 100000% behind the new diet and want to dig in on it, then I'd choose to believe MIL is trying to give a bit of normality back to DS.

And, be truthful, are you always 100% honest with OH or do you sometimes lie for an easier life? Or do you just comply for an easier life? Either way, if you're changing your behaviour to suit your boyfriend then it's no surprise your family are as well.

JLou08 · 14/12/2025 12:01

This seems very extreme if it isn't an allergy. Interesting your husband is taking the lead in deciding to cancel Christmas and not see them for a year. Good way to isolate you from your family.

ThisLittlePony · 14/12/2025 12:01

francii · 14/12/2025 11:55

Have you read the thread? Are you seriously suggesting a woman in a coercively controlled relationship should cut her child off from his family?

Hopefully they haven’t read the thread, otherwise I have extreme concerns about fitness to practice re safeguarding. I’d hate to think anyone vulnerable disclosed to @Gettingbysomehow domestic abuse and the response would be “getting fat would be worse”

nixon1976 · 14/12/2025 12:02

Roselily123 · 14/12/2025 11:04

Finally the voice of reason.
And The lies alone are bad enough.

Not the voice of reason. Read between the lines. Read her previous thread. Try and understand what’s really going on and then you won’t validate his behaviour

PickledElectricity · 14/12/2025 12:02

Whiteoleander2 · 14/12/2025 11:46

I was about to call them when this happened and now I feel I have less support due to my mum acting this way and not being able to trust her as she also tried to use my son against me

She's not using your son against you, she's trying to give him a taste (sorry) of normality when your crazy husband is implementing extreme diet rules and fucking everyone up in the process.

I'll bet my left foot that if you're mum fell in line, he would find some other fault.

Jesus Christ.

liveforsummer · 14/12/2025 12:02

Gettingbysomehow · 14/12/2025 11:58

My grandparents feeding me crap throughout my childhood was what caused my binge eating disorders and gross obesity. NOT the normal diet my mother gave me. Some of the responses on here are seriously weird. Surely we all know the lifelong damage highly processed diets caused but sadly nearly everyone chooses to ignore that and look at the result. Grossly fat people everywhere and an explosion of diabetes.

Have you read the thread? There is nothing normal about the diet these is receiving at home. It’s highly restricted of important food groups for a growing child

babasaclover · 14/12/2025 12:03

@Whiteoleander2christ I’m all for healthy eating but not allowed bread and butter or potatoes unless for Christmas? YOU are 100000% in the wrong here and giving your poor child eating disorders.

I make my own bread from scratch with good quality flour which is fine. The poor kid

Gettingbysomehow · 14/12/2025 12:03

HereforonedayonlytoavoidStrangerThingsspoilers · 14/12/2025 11:57

So medical professionals now advocate for children to be raised in a domestic abuse setting where they are deprived of nutrients? Wow.

Don't make me laugh. I eat a highly nutritious diet these days with all the nutrients I need and home cooked food. Not the crap that you obviously gorge yourself on from supermarkets. I don't eat highly processed foods. I eat minimally processed foods cooked at home. I've never felt or looked better.
If you saw what I see everyday you would never eat processed foods again. But then of course you know better than everyone else, carry on eating rubbish.

BettysRoasties · 14/12/2025 12:03

Gettingbysomehow · 14/12/2025 11:58

My grandparents feeding me crap throughout my childhood was what caused my binge eating disorders and gross obesity. NOT the normal diet my mother gave me. Some of the responses on here are seriously weird. Surely we all know the lifelong damage highly processed diets caused but sadly nearly everyone chooses to ignore that and look at the result. Grossly fat people everywhere and an explosion of diabetes.

If agreed they were shoving chocolate down his throat daily. But I see zero harm with a chocolate bar once a week at grannies.

Making foods off limits is just as bad as giving too much. Because the off limits food become something to crave and hide and once the child can get hold of them will binge them.

You see it when teenagers suddenly start secondary school and can now go to the shops alone pockets full of junk because it’s not allowed at home. Same as the children who are not allowed tv the second they get into a friends house they are glued to it.

Moderation not banning is what is needed.

Theunamedcat · 14/12/2025 12:04

Gosh your mom has put you in a hell of a position hasnt she no support at all ffs she is just making life difficult

Wintersgirl · 14/12/2025 12:04

Nothing will change, the OP and her children will still be with this abusive prick this time next year, throughly depressing.....

DuchessDandelion · 14/12/2025 12:04

Whiteoleander2 · 14/12/2025 11:46

I was about to call them when this happened and now I feel I have less support due to my mum acting this way and not being able to trust her as she also tried to use my son against me

She isn't using your son against you, but I understand why you're feeling like that. Please call womens aid or Refuge who another brilliant service:

https://refuge.org.uk/i-need-help-now/coercive-control/

Coercive Control - Refuge

Coercive Control - Refuge

https://refuge.org.uk/i-need-help-now/coercive-control/

ticktickticktickBOOM · 14/12/2025 12:04

Whiteoleander2 · 14/12/2025 11:32

Probably not for my OH as I know he doesn't like my family being around anyway but for me it is. It's about my mum betraying my trust despite me telling her last year when I was pregnant how much I struggled, it's about her saying she's always there to support me but then making it more difficult for me and giving OH reasons to dictate. Before this he had nothing else he could have said to stop Christmas with them going ahead. She's also tried to use my son against me when I called her out for lying which feels like she's also trying to abuse me which is tough when I'm already stuck in a cycle with OH.

it's about her saying she's always there to support me but then making it more difficult for me and giving OH reasons to dictate

I think what you are saying here is that you wish your mum would just go along with the demands of your OH because otherwise your OH kicks off and makes your life even harder.
Your mother is not abusing your trust, your mother is an adult who is making her own decisions - this is allowed. You do not 'own' your child in the way that you can dictate exactly how they exist in the world. Your child is a human that you are nurturing - not dictating too.
You are inflicting on your mother the same kind of controlling restriction and expectations that your OH has forced onto you and your children - because you have been conditioned by your OH to think that demanding someone to do something is and them doing it is equal to 'trust'. It is not.
Trust is allowing someone to use their own judgement.

AfraidToRun · 14/12/2025 12:05

Sounds a bit like my ex, he went on a diet so I had to too, he couldn't possibly suffer alone... Only I was trying to recover from anorexia and he wouldn't let any 'bad' foods in the house...

Whatever diet your husband is on, is for him. It's unrealistic to expect a 9 year old to follow it.

ilovesooty · 14/12/2025 12:05

Sliverreindeer · 14/12/2025 12:01

And your going to let your DH ruin your relationship with your mum???
You will need your mum ,when you realise your DH is massively controlling you and your boys and you decide to leave him.
Don't cut of the support you are clearly going to need at some point in the future

Exactly. He's isolating you from that support to make it harder for you to leave him.

DaisyChain505 · 14/12/2025 12:06

Your husband is controlling.

He is using this food thing to isolate you and your child and cut out your family.

Gettingbysomehow · 14/12/2025 12:06

Children have no choice in what they eat. They have to eat what they are given. I wish my diet as a child had been better, its led to a lifetime of being fat until I finally managed to sort myself out. Is that what people want for their family?

Sliverreindeer · 14/12/2025 12:06

Whiteoleander2 · 14/12/2025 11:46

I was about to call them when this happened and now I feel I have less support due to my mum acting this way and not being able to trust her as she also tried to use my son against me

Stop trying to blame your mum
She's no the one causing problems
She's on your side ,she's the person who will love and support you most in the world .
You said how much it effected you loosing a relative at 13 because you were stopped from seeing them.
So don't let history repeat itself with your mum.
You know you need to leave this man
I'm surprised school haven't noticed your son's odd eating habbits

Angeldelight50 · 14/12/2025 12:07

Whiteoleander2 · 14/12/2025 11:46

I was about to call them when this happened and now I feel I have less support due to my mum acting this way and not being able to trust her as she also tried to use my son against me

There will never be a right time. There will always be a reason to stay. Do the right thing for you and your boys.

ShawnaMacallister · 14/12/2025 12:07

Gettingbysomehow · 14/12/2025 12:06

Children have no choice in what they eat. They have to eat what they are given. I wish my diet as a child had been better, its led to a lifetime of being fat until I finally managed to sort myself out. Is that what people want for their family?

Can you read the fucking room? Or the thread? This isn't about food. Pipe down.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is not accepting new messages.