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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

Wedding trauma - forced to choose between sister and son

269 replies

greencottage · 17/03/2015 12:45

Sorry this is long - need to give a bit of background. It's been going on for weeks and I really need some help.

DS moved to a distant foreign city (other side of the world) in January to start a postgrad degree. The only person he knew in that city (where he'd never been before) was my DSis, who lives there and who has been a wonderful aunt to him and like a second mother all his life. I think, fairly naturally, he and I both hoped that she would be able to give him a bit of help settling in in this new city, e.g. give him somewhere to stay while he found uni accommodation. Well, that didn't happen as she and her new partner decided they had to go on holiday at that time. Was a bit disappointed, but anyway he got on with it, found a friend of a friend who let him stay while he found a flat.

Move forward a couple of weeks, and DSis comes back from holiday. DS asks if he can visit and stay for a few days as he would like to spend family time with DSis and also felt he had stayed long enough at friend-of-friend's house (he was moving into his new flat in five days). She says yes, so he goes to her house.

By day 2 the atmosphere is unbearable. Partner of DSis does not like having him in the house and puts a him-or-me ultimatum on DSis. DSis crumbles and kicks DS out, literally onto the street, giving him an inflatable mattress and a few pans and towels. He manages to get into the flat a couple of days early and camps out until his furniture arrives. In the meantime DSis sends hysterical emails left, right and centre telling everyone how appalling DS is (not true). Her DP sends me an incredible email telling me he's lucky he wasn't chucked out with a black eye and I should take off my rose tinted glasses about him. Apparently amongst his sins were "expecting to be fed". Please take this in the context of 1. my family is always warm and hospitable to each other, 2. they are not short of money so could certainly afford an extra place at the table, 3. DS is basically a broke student, 4. he brought the usual kind of contributions and helped out around the house like any well-mannered guest.

All very upsetting and I cannot believe that my much loved sister has behaved like this towards her nephew who she has always cherished. Literally cannot believe it. Still I am trying to make a reconciliation and just ask her to apologise to DS. No apology is forthcoming, well a little bit to me but not to him.

Now for the wedding related bit. I am going to visit DS at Easter. This has been planned for many months. With this date in mind DSis organised her wedding to the above mentioned partner for when I was there. I love my sister and want to support her and celebrate her wedding. But I feel she has basically sacrificed my son to her partner's whims. Her DP has also grossly insulted me and DS (sent DS an email saying he was never welcome again). She has also rescinded the wedding invite to DS. I just need to say again, what a long and loving relationship she has had with DS all his life, so this is just an unbelievable turn of events.

DS says he will feel betrayed and unsupported if I go to the wedding. Elderly DM is having a hysterical breakdown at the family fall-out. DSis says I should support her, even if she acknowledges she did the wrong thing (which she kind of does), as she has supported me in past difficult times (true). I've heard nothing from DSis partner who is at the bottom of all this and who sent me the horrible email. I don't particularly want to ever see him, but I don't want to destroy my relationship with my sister. I also don't want to betray my son's trust.

What do I do? Son or Sister? Wedding - yes or no?

OP posts:
gamerchick · 17/03/2015 12:50

There is no choice but it's massively unfair to be made to choose. My mother did that to me and I didn't pick her. That was fun but how dare anybody make you choose.

jerryfudd · 17/03/2015 12:51

if you are sure your son is innocent in all this then they have treated him appallingly and I would side with him and not go

CarolBornAMan · 17/03/2015 12:51

Son and No.

This is on assumption that you know for certain son's behaviour was impeccable - there must be more to this - either BIL to be has some serious issues that you must be aware off or the letter indicates more issues than just the food?

Mum4Fergus · 17/03/2015 12:52

Son without a doubt ...

DialMforMummy · 17/03/2015 12:52

Tough one. But I think on those circumstances I would not go to the wedding, or just go to the ceremony but not the party. Do you know the fiancé well? He sounds like an area hole to me.

Vicarscat · 17/03/2015 12:52

There has to be more about your DS's behaviour than you've mentioned here. Without that info, it's impossible to form an opinion. Have you asked your sister for the honest details of what he did while staying with her? What does your DS say happened?

DialMforMummy · 17/03/2015 12:53

Arse hole even

Optimist1 · 17/03/2015 12:53

Where are you planning to stay on your visit? With her or him or independently?

FelicityGubbins · 17/03/2015 12:53

I say son, 100%. If it were me I would tell my sister that I love her but she is being an arsehole and until she get a grip I want nothing to do with her...

cleanmyhouse · 17/03/2015 12:54

What exactly did your son do that they were so upset about, apart from expecting to be fed?

plantsitter · 17/03/2015 12:56

You know what? If everything is exactly as you describe I would be worried about your sister. I would tell your DS that yes, you agree she behaved appallingly but want to go so that your sister knows that should her twatty soon to be husband turn out to be as abusive as it sounds like he may be and chucks HER out on the street with an inflatable mattress, she can come to you for help. Could he be isolating her from her family?

BIWI · 17/03/2015 12:57

Your son. Without a doubt. She is the grown up here but didn't treat him fairly. (Although you need to make sure that there's no truth in her version of events!)

LadyOrangutan · 17/03/2015 12:59

I would side with my son.

But I'd also be very worried about my sister marrying this man. He sounds like a monster.

MaryWestmacott · 17/03/2015 13:00

If you are 100% certain your DS wasn't a dick in someone else's house, then don't go. Throwing him out when he'd be leaving in another 3 days away was cruel, and unless she had a very good reason not to just put some ground rules /talk to him about his behaviour (assuming it was a little unacceptable), then do't go.

I'd tell your DM that you will try to sit down with yoru DSis and resolve this, but it's unlikely to be before the wedding, if you go to the wedding with it unresolved, it will be a terrible atmosphere and it's not fair on your Dsis to go if your being there might overshadow her 'big day'.

But definately sit down your DS before you talk to Dsis and ask him to be 100% truthful with you, exactly what happened, what he said, what he could have done wrong.

ButEmilylovedhim · 17/03/2015 13:00

Is the fiance abusive? He sounds like he's controlling your sister. Can you communicate with her without him knowing and ask her?

yearofthegoat · 17/03/2015 13:01

Whatever the truth behind what DS did or didn't do, he shouldn't have been kicked out with nowhere to go. How well does he know his aunt? You say they are close, yet she lives on the other side of the world. I wonder why she didn't phone you to discuss the problem at the time. It all seems very odd.

In your position I would visit your son but I would not go to the wedding. I am not sure I'd even send a present.

Joyfulldeathsquad · 17/03/2015 13:02

Your son. You won't enjoy the wedfing now anyway. Her husband sounds vile

GreenMouse · 17/03/2015 13:03

I agree with Plantsitter OP, it seems to me that your DSis' partner might be abusive and trying to isolate her. That's the only explanation I can think of unless your DS has behaved appallingly while staying with them.

dreamingbohemian · 17/03/2015 13:03

What is your son's side of the story, and what exactly does BIL say he did wrong?

Is BIL generally a kind of controlling asshole? You say he's a new partner, they're getting married already? Are you worried about your sister?

If your son was still invited to the wedding but just didn't want to go, I would say suck it up and go. But she disinvited him! I think it's a bit crazy to disinvite someone for no good reason and then still expect their mum to show up. So if there's any big family fallout, I would shift the blame to her.

LulaMayBrown · 17/03/2015 13:03

No matter how horribly my kid behaved in someone's house (well- within reason - not like taking drugs or shitting in their sink!) I would not tolerate someone threatening to give them a black eye. I have students staying with me all the time (I'm like a surrogate family for them while they're away from home) and their manners/habits can be bloody awful sometimes: leaving dirty dishes lying around, bathrooms grim, being like locusts with the food - but all i do is tell them what they are doing wrong and give them a chance to be better house guests. I certainly don't threaten them with physical violence for being lazy sods! I'm not saying your son was a lazy sod - although knowing students they can be fairly badly housetrained - but I expect some grumbles about his behaviour may have been valid.

But there was no excuse for what happened about thumping etc.

I wouldn't go to the wedding without some kind of reconciliation first. I would phone your sister and CALMLY ask her what happened and be prepared to listen. Stop these stupid emails as it's hard to really gauge what a person is actually saying. Don't demand an apology, as that will put everyone's back up. If you want to work this out you probably need to start afresh and make sure there is no hostility. For the sake of your elderly DM I hope you can both make a clean slate.

I think if you can approach this calmly and be prepared to listen, you can build bridges again. My family used to always be in destruction mode and it's not healthy for anyone and I really regret all the "I'll never speak to her agains" or the "if he's going, I'm not goings".

AnnieLobeseder · 17/03/2015 13:04

I would go, if only to meet this apparent arse of a DP, and to see my DS's new home. So, if you have tickets booked, keep them and go over, but hold out on deciding if you will attend the actual wedding until you've been over there, met the DP and talked to everyone about the situation face to face. As plantsitter said, are you not worried about this twat your DSis is marrying and how badly it could turn out for her?

Could you explain to your DS that you are 100% on his side, but that if your DSis is being abused and isolated by this idiot, you need to attend the wedding to be there for her and to understand her situation.

Vicarscat · 17/03/2015 13:04

He's a postgraduate student, so at least 21 years' old, and could have found a hostel or cheap hotel. Just to put it in its proper context.

dreamingbohemian · 17/03/2015 13:06

Also the fact they went away when he arrived and didn't put him up is a bit shady -- even if it was unavoidable that they be away, why wouldn't they give him the keys to their place and let him stay there?

AttilaTheMeerkat · 17/03/2015 13:07

I was also wondering whether your sister's man is abusive and has controlled/engineered the situation here. He placing a "him or me" ultimatum on your sister was deeply unfair and again engineered by him. Out of fear of her partner I suspect she chose to obey her man.

I would not want to go to her wedding in such circumstances and would continue to support your son.

greencottage · 17/03/2015 13:07

I am confident that what my son has told me is more or less correct. When it all blew up I actually asked him to write down exactly what happened while he was there, what he did, contributed, was said etc. DS can be difficult (very robust opinions, shall we say) but he is honest and very rational. I have asked my sister for the honest detail as well, and once she got through the hysteria, she admitted that he didn't really do anything wrong UNTIL (and they both admit this) things got so unpleasant that heated words were exchanged. I can believe both sides on this. But I don't think it deserves what happened next.

Plantsitter - that's exactly what I said to DS this morning.

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