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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Relationship with PIL going downhill fast.........

35 replies

amiami · 19/09/2006 12:14

...and I don't know what to do.
Was fine at the start but since our wedding day things have deteriorated. They make disparaging remarks about our home and lifestyle, don't DH any credit for the work he does to support his family while crowing about their other son. DH broke down at the weekend and admitted it is the source of a lot of sadness in his life. And putting a great strain on our relationship which is going through a rocky patch anyway.
I am not sure how to fix it - or if I want to having being the target for a lot of snide remarks and nastiness if I am ever with them on my own. Reduced to tears on several occasions.
They adore DD and I want her to have a fulfilling relationship with them - but can we achieve this while things are so fraught? We spent the day together on Sunday and DD was handed over to them and back to us when they left - there was barely any conversation between us just all this tension simmering away.
Does anyone have any ideas on how we can move forward?

OP posts:
shhhh · 19/09/2006 17:42

I have had problems with my il's and over 10 years of being with dh things were tollerated BUT about 4 months ago at dd's 1st birthday party things exploded. I was sober and they were both v v drunk. They made some personal, hurtful and snide comments. I wlaked away but my fil followed with the abuse.
DH actually stood up for me and they left and we never heard a word until the week before dd's christening (aftre 9 weeks). FIL turned up at ours with what I thought was an apology BUT was more abuse for me. Apparently I have problems with my upbringing, past, im rude and I'm a little girl..?? God knows where it all came from, this time I did the telling "to leave". Anyway things were cival for dd's christening and all I can say is they have been strained but cival since.

I'm expecting again which I am happy about but feel as though as I have "given into them" as at dd's party mil commented to a friend "you'd have thought she'd have given me another gc by now" . I have been to see them since the issues but I hate it, I feel as though I needn't be there and feel in a similar situation to petunia. Its like I'm tollerated because I'm the mother of their gd.

We visited them weekly BUT I felt as though both my il's and own parents were running our lives and explained to dd that we need our own family time...We are currently on a tial of seeing them both every 2 weeks.

BTW I did post about my issues at the time so you may want to search archive.

Yes it hard trying to please your il's but all I can suggest is to do what makes you happy. I'm suffering with PND&AND and am under a counsellor...issues with il's haven't helped me .

Good luck and hope things improve. Sorry I can't advise any more but I'm trying to "see wood for the trees myself atm".

xx

shhhh · 19/09/2006 17:43

sorry...meant to say I explained to DH about visiting il's..!!

petunia · 19/09/2006 19:46

I think shhhh has got it right. You have to do what makes you happy and what you feel is right for you and your child/children. I've spent too many years playing at happy families just for the sake of DH and his parents. And if you think that your child might suffer if she doesn't see them, my children don't talk about the ILs at all. As far as they're concerned, the ILs are 2 people who gives them toys whenever they see them. DDS don't even know them as "grandma and grandad" (that's for my parents). To DDs, the ILs are "daddy's mummy and daddy". It's sad but that's what you get when they don't make the effort and treat their grandchildren's mother in a cr@p way!

1Baby1Bump · 19/09/2006 20:00

if youre still lurking shhh, i have to update you on my mils latest but dont want to hijack....totally.
many apologies!

wakeupandsmellthecoffee · 19/09/2006 20:27

www.motherinlawstories.com/mother-in-law_stories_archive_calendar_2006.htm go here you will i promise get a lot of support ,this site is addictive . but please go here they are really good with advice and have been through it all befor there are some shocking stories .

trying2bgood · 19/09/2006 21:06

Amiami - is your dh close to his brother at all? could he talk to his brother and ask him to perhaps intervene? I agree that perhaps it might be an idea to cool it for say 3 months, and then you and your hubby can take this time to think about what you want to do & also to see how life is without your in-laws. If it proves to be a positve experience for all of you then it is perhaps time to give your in-laws an ultimatum?

SSSandy · 20/09/2006 09:29

I would concentrate on your own parents' role as grandparents for your dc since they live only an hour away. I would steer clear off ILs as far as possible, just remaining civil when your paths do cross.

As you said, once BIL has a dc, they'll presumably go off your dc anyway and how is that going to make her feel?

amiami · 20/09/2006 11:12

DH has raised it with his brother - who confirmed that he was aware of tension from comments made by PIL but did not shed any further light on it. Just made things worse for us tbh as we are now wondering just what has been said. We don't want to involve him really as he and his wife are v close to PIL (they do loads as a foursome and SIL calls them her adopted parents - Mim and Did [vomit]. Think we would just end up losing touch with them too - not that we see them much - twice a year or something.
We are moving further away from them soon and will have lots to do in our new house so am hoping we will be able to avoid them for a while.
That website is a real eye opener - feel like I am getting an easy ride from some of the stories.

OP posts:
redzuleika · 20/09/2006 19:32

We've had a similar parental problem - but in our case, it's my parents. I feel sad that my parents haven't seen my daughter (their first and only grandchild) since last Christmas, when she was three months old - but they behaved so appallingly when we stayed with them, that I couldn't do anything else but cut contact with them. It wasn't just that particular visit, either - I realised a lot of things about my upbringing, discovered that I'm still angry about the way they acted around my wedding etc etc.

I realised that in order to be / become the mother my daughter needed, I had to shuck them off. I didn't intend this to be a permanent state of affairs, but have discovered over the last few months by just how "light" I feel, that they must have been sucking so much emotional energy from me.

I will make contact at some point, but it will be on my terms - and I will not be spoken to with disrespect - certainly not in front of my child. To disrespect me, is to disrespect her.

I don't have siblings, so there isn't that issue - but really, I think that's just a hobby-horse - and if it weren't that, it would be something else. My parents want a daughter they can brag about, who earns loads of money - sod my happiness - but it isn't up to me to live FOR them - they need to find their own fulfulment.

They probably wouldn't treat a stranger in the street like this - and you shouldn't both have to put up with it. Counselling might help your husband - it might make him think about how patterns of abuse have shaped him. Because it is abusive behaviour - even if they've never laid a finger on him...

shhhh · 21/09/2006 15:41

1baby1bump haven't you had that baby yet . Sorry only just got your message..CAT me or do you want my email address..???

Come on I'm waiting.....!! Hope you are well xx

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