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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

Husband's awful family - how to support him?

6 replies

rosepetalsoup · 05/03/2015 13:16

Hello,

I'm not sure whether my husband's family count as 'toxic' or not but he sees them very rarely and experiences great stress when they get in touch. I know they have been quite mean and judgemental to him over the years and have made him feel frightened and unloved. Nothing like physical/sexual abuse, but certainly emotional. He is fairly open and has described his childhood and though I can understand they were/are cold-hearted and mean I cannot truly understand the flavour of what he feels. When I try I end up prying too much. I just wondered, as there are so many threads on here about toxic parents / siblings, whether anyone could tell me how to generally support him. I get the sense that when he thinks about them he starts to feel frightened and that I need to provide a stable base and show him I love him unconditionally, but I'm not sure.

This doesn't surface often, just occasionally. He's a very good husband and dad. He knows they were cruel to him and has decided to have minimal contact. He won't go to therapy or anything like that - so no suggestions of anything really proactive for him. I'm just more wondering what I should do, generally speaking.

OP posts:
Lottapianos · 05/03/2015 13:27

Yes, they sound highly toxic and emotionally abusive. My DP comes from a similar type of home, as do I. I've been in therapy for the past few years but its not something he's interested in.

I try to make our home a safe place where things are orderly and reliable. We both like things clean and tidy so we have similar housework standards which helps. If I'm going to be late home, I always text him to let him know, as he starts becoming very anxious if I'm running late and he doesn't know why. When we argue, we stay respectful and as calm as possible - no raised voices and absoutely no name calling, slamming doors or anything like that. I often go silent when I'm angry or ovewhelmed, and DP says this makes his highly anxious, as he wonders if he's caused me to feel that way. So I try to work on telling him how I'm feeling, even if I don't want to talk about it in great detail at that moment.

I would suggest listening if/when he wants to talk about them. Avoid making any suggestions but do lots of validating of what he says - 'that sounds really painful', 'that must have been really hard', 'you must have felt very lonely', that sort of thing. Support his decision to go for minimal contact. Let him know every time you're proud of him, or you think he made a good decision, or did something kind.

Ultimately, any healing that happens (and he will have a huge amount of healing to do after surviving a family like that) has to come from within him, but having you very firmly on his side will help hugely.

One last thing - the feelings that you are left with as an adult having grown up in a toxic family can be terrifying. He may not be ready to face what he feels, let alone share it with you. He may well have very strong feelings of worthlessness, emptiness, loneliness, huge sadness, anger, rage, and a very strong sense of injustice. And that may all be topped off with a huge dollop of guilt because he feels he 'shouldn't' have any of those feelings in the first place!

You sound like a lovely, caring partner

Cameochick11 · 05/03/2015 13:32

Hello - my DH is in a similar position, and we don't see PIL's often. He's a fab dad, and we have made our own lives, created our own traditions and we do lots together, are supportive of each other, celebrate family successes, commiserate when things aren't great. I always wanted to be part of a larger extended family, but our little family are doing ok as we are. Build memories together, maybe put lots of candid family pics on the wall of you all. Inch by inch, my DH has realized that his upbringing lacked warmth but that there is another way.

Good luck x

rosepetalsoup · 05/03/2015 14:09

Thank you both. Do your PiLs (and in the first case also your parents) try to get in touch? With my in-laws we have a very minimal relationship with them but it is not completely resolved in that things come up approx. yearly where it is debated whether we'll go but DH doesn't want to.

OP posts:
Lottapianos · 05/03/2015 14:28

With my PILs, we see them about twice a year and DP speaks to them on the phone about once a week. Its not enough for them but it is for us! They live on the other side of the country so no danger of them 'popping in' etc but it also means that when we see them, it has to be for at least a couple of days at a time.

My parents text me a few times a month. I always reply but keep it very light and fluffy - I share virtually nothing about my life with them. They come to visit us every couple of years or so, I visit about once a year (live in different countries). Also not nearly enough for them, but then nothing ever would be. Its ok for me - I'm not ready for no contact, and maybe never will be, but I keep them very much at a distance.

I would say that if invitations come up, DP should be guided by what he wants to do, not what he is expected to do. There's nothing quite so humiliating and self-respect-shredding for an adult as feeling like you have to go along with stuff just for the sake of appearances.

rosepetalsoup · 05/03/2015 14:41

This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much, and I'm so happy to hear that you have created your own new contented and loving families, too. x

OP posts:
Lottapianos · 05/03/2015 15:36

Good luck x

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