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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:
Lweji · 19/03/2015 07:48

I don't think I could go to the wedding and would explain exactly why.

Lweji · 19/03/2015 07:52

5 days is nothing.

YonicScrewdriver · 19/03/2015 08:04

If they didn't want him for five days, they could have suggested a shorter visit, rather than throwing him out!

blueberrypie0112 · 19/03/2015 08:11

And 5 days is not worthy enough to say "...and you are not invited to our wedding anymore either!" it is ridiculous for anyone think someone deserve an uninvite because they over welcome their stay. Or anything petty.

ptumbi · 19/03/2015 08:42

5 days to visit a much-loved and missed Aunt - is nothing.

My own DP travelled across the world to UK in his mid-20s. After a while, the loneliness/cold/crowdedness got to him, and he phoned his mum in a bad way. She phoned a cousin of hers, who dropped everything, drove to get him (different county) and put him up for months till he felt strong enough to move on. The cousin told me (some 20years later) that she felt terrible that a family member (that she had never met - as I say, born the other side of the world) was in distress in this country.

That's how families should be - even those you've never met are still family. This situation is awful; not only anti-family, but out of character - and that is caused by something. Sad

YonicScrewdriver · 19/03/2015 09:50

And if it turned out to be too much, you have a discussion about getting into his flat early, going to a motel, how can you help him with somewhere else to stay etc?

MaybeDoctor · 19/03/2015 13:05

I certainly didn't imply that they should have thrown him out because five days was too long, but I did wonder whether five days suited DS (because of friend, flat etc) might have been to much for his aunt anyway - but she didn't get a choice to say what she preferred as he had made it obvious that he was without alternative accommodation.

Vicarscat · 19/03/2015 13:12

I think that a mistake the DS made was to treat his aunt's home as he may have done in the past, without thinking that her family dynamic was likely to have changed, now that she is living with her fiancé. He had no prior relationship with the fiancé, and a 5 day visit is a long stay with someone you don't know. Obviously, the position was hugely exacerbated by the fiancé's apparent control issues, but it would have been a good idea to agree (well ahead of time) a shorter visit initially. What the aunt might have thought of as a welcome visit from a younger relative she is fond of, was clearly something very different in the fiancé's eyes, who has seen it as taking advantage and has persuaded the aunt to see it that way too.

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 19/03/2015 14:16

Think OP said they have been a couple for three years, MaybeDoctor.

Isetan · 20/03/2015 09:20

If and it's a very big if, this man is trying to isolate your DSis, then you have isolated yourself from her by not going to her wedding and he didn't have to lift a finger.

ajandjjmum · 20/03/2015 14:25

He threatened to lift a finger though - big time. And he certainly lifted his voice.

ptumbi · 20/03/2015 14:52

Isetan - that is why it is very important that OP tells her sis that she is there for her, whatever happens. OP is in fact going to see her Sis before the wedding to wish her well and try to put this behind them, without 'condoning' what either/any of them has done.

And yes, anyone who threatened my kids would be cut right out of my 'family'.

Isetan · 21/03/2015 08:02

Isetan - that is why it is very important that OP tells her sis that she is there for her, whatever happens.

If the OP doesn't attend the wedding, she's not going to be there 'whatever happens'. I'm not saying the OP should attend but if she really believes her sister is being controlled, then there is a good chance that DSis could view her non attendance as a rejection/abandonment.

Is the OP not going to attend because of the behaviour of her DSis and partner or is it because her son is emotionally laying it on thick.

CitySnicker · 21/03/2015 08:28

Did we ever find out exactly what son did / said?

LynetteScavo · 21/03/2015 09:28

If you don't go to the wedding you are playing into your future BILS hands.... That's exactly what he wants.

FrancesNiadova · 21/03/2015 09:34

GreenCottage fwiw, I think that you've made the right decision in not going.
If my son had been thrown out of a relative's home, on the other side of the world, I would be furious & So disappointed in my relative.
As you say, your sis has had to rely upon her family when she's been in trouble & had a number of difficult relationships end. Your Mum is probably hoping that this is her Happily Ever After.
Just because the place has changed to Australia, doesn't mean that the dynamics of your sister's relationships have. All she's done is to change the scenery.
How would your sis have reacted if you'd turfed her out on one of these occasions?
I think that you're right not to go.
The potential for harm to your son, unsupported, on the other side of the world, was massive. (Luckily, he had £150 for a taxi).
You need to put all of this to her & your Mum.
Your Mum has donned the rose tinted goggles in the hope that everything will now be fine.
Actually, I'd be surprised if your Mum wasn't angry at the way her grandson had been treated, but trying to gloss over it so that she doesn't have to remove those goggles.

Charley50 · 21/03/2015 09:49

I think you should go to the wedding but make it clear to your DS that you are only going because you're worried about your sister being abused and isolated, and that you do not condone her or her fiance behaviour to DS. Sorry long sentence.

thegreylady · 21/03/2015 10:02

I would not put anyone before one of my dc no matter what they had done. I could not respect anyone who asked me to do that. Why would you celebrate your sister's wedding to someone who treated your son like that?
Try to maintain a relationship with your sister but have nothing to do with the wedding. If I was your mum and my dd had hurt a dgc like that I'd be tempted to join you though I wouldn't. I would certainly be deeply worried about a dp who made such an uncharacteristic difference to someone's personally.

DontGotoRoehampton · 21/03/2015 10:17

The very first thing an abuser does, is isolate his partner from friends and family. The very first thing. Every time

This sounds so much like what happened when a close friend of mine met a 'charming' man - he manufactured quarrels gradually with all her friends and family and she ended up isolated, a whole load of awful things then happened over an number of years culminating in her having to move out and lose contact with their children.
I would not go to the wedding - go on a lovely holiday in that country with your son instead.

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