Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Seriously thinking about NC with DH's side of the family

467 replies

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 22/02/2016 02:46

This is going to be long but think I need to post the background

I've posted previously about SIL's wedding. I have 3 DCs - age 3, 2 and 13 weeks. The oldest have just turned 3 and 2 respectively so still small.

SIL is getting married about 150 miles away on a week day. We have been told no DCs at the wedding. Mil has a difficult family background and her half-brothers children will be going however - albeit they are older than ours. I susir t ultimately that SIL will also permit her friends to bring small babies. I understand that it is SIL's wedding but I find it pretty hurtful that our children (who are actually her closest relatives) are to be excluded.

My parents are extremely supportive of us and will normally drop anything to help us out. Mil has form for being very difficult and has been very unhelpful at difficult times - eg looked after putt DS on the day of my grandmother's funeral (250 miles away) but refused to rearrange plans so I had to get out cleaner to come and look after DS (then 1 year old) as she had to leave at 5pm. The whole thing was horribly stressful and I still find it very upsetting to think about.

My parents normally drop everything to help us but normally go on holiday with friends around the date of SIL's wedding. They therefore told me immediately that they may be able to look after our DCs but that - in this instance - they actually won't cancel their holiday if the group of friends can only manage that date (they are all retired so tend to go quite last minute to get the best deal) and we should therefore get a plan B. I immediately highlighted this to DH and his response was - (massively fucking entitled) oh it's my sister's wedding. Surely they won't go away. I said they very well could and he should highlight this to his family now as we may not have any childcare and ultimately I wouldn't be able to go. Plus, I could very well still be feeding youngest DC. Really the only option would be to take someone to look after the DCs on site and I didn't even know if that would be feasible. But I was highlighting it now so that there were no amateur dramatics near the wedding if I couldn't go

Communication within DH's family is pretty piss poor so nothing was done.

At the weekend, SIL, MIL and FIL came ti visit and stay the night. SIL said something in passing about my parents looking after the DC and I said that actually they maybe away and there wasn't really a plan B. I said that I could perhaps ask my DS's key worker from nursery to travel to the wedding and look after the DCs but we would need to get him accommodation. And, in any event, I was uncomfortable about being away from my youngest DC even if I could get someone look after all DC at our house.

SIL told me that there were no rooms left at the hotel but if I got the key worker, he could perhaps stay at a local B&B. That she was having to lay £150 a head per guest and she wanted me to be able to relax and enjoy myself and also keep costs down - hence why our DCs weren't invited. I said that the best solution maybe to ask the key worker. And, if I did, would SIL like the DCs to be brought to the church (waiting outside during the ceremony) for a few photos as they would be in the area. Totally up to her obviously but thought she might like it. She said yes, but she was banning children from the church. I said I quite understood as FIL's brother's children had made a terrible racket during ours in the church (MIL insisted they were invited) and you could even hear the noise on the wedding video. MIL said she couldn't remember that but I said (nicely) that it was on the video. I also said that if my parents were looking after the DCs, they had also offered to bring them to the church (to wait outside) and take them home (a big thing as a huge drive) after if she wanted photos.

So - it was all perfectly pleasant and I thought the childcare issue was clear. More importantly, there was actually communication like normal people. DH then went to work in the morning and the DCs and I went out with SIL and the PILs for brunch - all perfectly pleasant. Nothing else said. I was slightly nervous about going out as the PILs had been invited to visit DC3 a few days after she was born and had been very late (with no communication). I was upstairs feeding the baby and DH had said something to MIL about it. She had started shouting and bawling at DH saying it was my fault Confused and I was manipulating them and being very rude about me. I decided the best thing to do was pretend I hadn't heard and gloss over things. But, again, everything perfectly pleasant at brunch

DH then arrives home and asks me what I had been saying to his sister? I explained the position about childcare and said that I had highlighted this to him already but his approach seemed to have been that my parents would have to just cancel their holiday. That wasn't very constructive so I had highlighted things to SIL so she could make ab informed choice about allowing the DCs to attend in the vicinity and be looked after off site (pretty pissing annoying that DH could have mentioned it earlier so we could have got a room for them and carers at the hotel but now we couldn't) as ultimately if we couldn't get appropriate childcare, I wouldn't be able to go and with a wedding of 60 people, that would be noticeable.

DH then says that obviously I had a chip on my shoulder about FIL's neice making a racket during our wedding Confused and that my parents were manipulating things by refusing to cancel their holiday (the irony after my grandmother's funeral and various other times that they have dropped everything and driven 300 miles to help us out after the PILs have let us down!). I susir t he had spoken to MIL on the way home.

I am absolutely fed up with this. I am fed up of rather than everyone talking civilly about things (as I tried to do) and resolve problems in good time, MIL then approaches DH behind my back. If she or SIL had a problem, why not discuss it with me at the time or the next day? I am fed up (and I think this is the crux of it) if DH not simply explaining that all I am trying to do is sort out childcare for the DCs (as basically he seems to have opted out of it and my parents - his indentured servants obviously - are to drop everything AGAIN to help out). Why is DH not able to actually support me (his wife) and make it clear - politely - to his family that if you have your wedding hundreds of miles away and don't invite your very young nieces and nephews, then yes, childcare will be an issue and that is not bring "difficult". It's a matter of fact. And, actually, if your "keeping costs down" banning your brothers children whilst letting others attend is actually pretty fucking hurtful

I actually don't know what to do. I've said tinDH that I think that actually everyone should just be honest and communicate clearly with each other now. So if he thinks my patents are "selfish"
and "manipulative" (the breath taking cheek!) he should say to their faces. Further, I will contact SIL and MIL and ask them if they need me to clarify anything about what we discussed. Further, another option is for me to not attend and look after the DCs which I think maybe the best option all round

I'm actually so so sick of this. I don't want to see the PILs again and I don't particularly want to see SIL again.

Should I contact them? Should I just decline the wedding invitation? I want to make it clear why

I also need to sort out the DH issue too

OP posts:
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 18:15

Yes - tis me re the cleaner.

In happier news, I now have a brilliant new one!

OP posts:
AcrossthePond55 · 24/02/2016 18:28

Once again, I think he's trying to 'confuse' you. This time by being Mr Reasonable And Accommodating. It makes you wonder what you were upset about in the first place and if YOU were the unreasonable one all along.

tribpot · 24/02/2016 18:32

Apparently it is a decision we need to make jointly

At the moment there is no decision to make.

  1. If the dc are invited to the wedding and there is a family room, you will all be going.
  2. If not, only DH will be going.

It's not up to you whether the dc are invited and whether there's a family room, DH needs to investigate and confirm those items himself.

You seriously must not give any ground about the availability of your parents or a keyworker. Your dc are your (joint) responsibility. It is nobody else's job to provide them with childcare at a wedding.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 18:34

ou seriously must not give any ground about the availability of your parents or a keyworker. Your dc are your (joint) responsibility. It is nobody else's job to provide them with childcare at a wedding

Worry not - I won't be.

I wondered if he was now looking chastened as the red mist has lifted and he now realises he acted like a complete fucking douchenozzle. Perhaps not.......

OP posts:
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 18:37

I intend not to say much, btw

OP posts:
rookiemere · 24/02/2016 19:13

Good luck with your chat Gobbolino.

NotQuiteSoOnEdge · 24/02/2016 19:28

Please take care. I've been where you are. I also have the lawyeresque recall and I nearly drove myself insane trying to have a rational discussion with the ex. (Note EX)

After an hour of, 'no I didn't just say that', you're only thinking of yourself, I only wanted, you don't listen, swearing, gas lighting etc I'd be thinking 'what am I doing wrong??? How can he not understand what I'm saying? He twisted the meanings of words, twisted my sentences, catastrophised, brought up grievances from years before or launched into an angry tirade about my faults. NOTHING ever got resolved.

Try to stay detached. Nothing else works. And stuck record technique. 'We can talk about that another time, today we have to sort.....'

Good luck.

TeaOnEverest · 24/02/2016 19:42

I'm glad you are a lawyer.

Your DH and his family sound unhinged

Fannycraddock79 · 24/02/2016 19:43

This reminds me of tom cruise and katie holmes and I fear that if he continues as he is, you and your parents are going to have to draw up an extremely clever exit plan.

RandomMess · 24/02/2016 19:57

It's just bonkers, the whole thing Confused

But it his him, not you. Sounds like the in-laws just assumed your DP would look after your DC and it never occurred to them this would be an issue...

DartmoorDoughnut · 24/02/2016 20:31

Hope it's going well Gobbolino your ILs are barking, hope you can drag DH back from the precipice before he joins them 100%!

Tapirbackrider · 24/02/2016 20:32

I know the chances are small that you're still here posting before discussing things with your husband, but on the off chance that you are - it might be a good idea to use your phone's recording app to record any conversation between the two of you.

It'll serve as a record of what took place, and an irrefutable one at that in case things go pearshaped?

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 20:42

I think we may have some progress.

DH has admitted that SIL doesn't really want DC at the wedding. Fair enough. He still maintains that he mentioned the invite to me - although it was in the mix of other things. I say not. He now accepts that MIL said that children under 8 weren't allowed on the premises but that she was wrong.

We then talked through various options.

DH really wants me to come.

He therefore wants us to pay for someone to look after them on site (we will have a room) so that we can all go but the DC are near. To that end, he is now googling for childcare and has asked if I can ask the key worker too. We would need to get him up there obviously and sort accommodation. DH has booked s nearby B&b that we can cancel if needs be to give us options.

DH has asked me if I think my parents would do it if they are not on hols. I've said I need to think if we should ask them.

Reading between the lines, I suspect that SIL said she didn't want children there (hence her comments at the weekend) and DH was trying to gloss over that as obviously our DC are relatives (fair enough not attending the wedding but to be barred from the premises?!?!) and it caused us childcare issues. I also suspect that he though my parents would be there - as they always are to look after the DC

Not sure where to go from here.

OP posts:
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 20:42

Apparently our room is a suite so can accommodate the DC

OP posts:
DaemonPantalaemon · 24/02/2016 20:45

And how does he explain his nasty comments about your parents, then.

Chippednailvarnish · 24/02/2016 20:50

Was your "D" H the one who only lets you have half a chicken breast when he gets the rest of the bird?

LTB. Seriously.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 20:50

He still denies saying them. Says he loves them etc. I have said that he did make the comments. He wants to agree to disagree.

OP posts:
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 20:51

chipped - no re: chicken. No issues around anything like that at all.

OP posts:
mix56 · 24/02/2016 20:51

After all the meanest & manipulation, I wouldn't go.

Chippednailvarnish · 24/02/2016 20:52

OK, sorry, wrong poster.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 20:52

Not very sure what to do re parent comments.

Not sure if I should bring up another day again.

OP posts:
Wolpertinger · 24/02/2016 20:54

I would suggest that your parents are either a) on hols or b) quite reasonably don't want to travel 200 miles to provide childcare.

Then leave him to find the solution.

One of the problems has been that either you or your parents or both have always lept into action to solve the problems of how batshit his family are, thus limiting his exposure to the stress but transferring all the stress onto yourselves. You need to keep DH exposed to it so he can see the batshittery for himself.

Oh and congratulations for being so calm.

Being sympathetic to your DH he is programmed to please. He quite probably doesn't know how to solve things himself or what his own opinions are beyond 1) please ILs and 2) in situations not involving ILs please Gobbolino. When the two situations converge he really doesn't know what to do and his brain melts - he really doesn't understand why you don't think the same way as him.

RandomMess · 24/02/2016 20:57

It's still ridiculous as your youngest will be 6 months and quite possibly very dependent on being breast fed regularly...

I think DH needs to grow up and speak to SIL and explain actually the dc need to be invited!

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 21:07

To be scrupulously fair, I would prefer if there was someone there to help look after them on site. Plus, I am quite happy to be able to keep popping off to feed the baby. It lets me have a break from the mentals.

OP posts:
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 24/02/2016 21:11

The only thing that is concerning me is that I said to DH that he needs to immediately context SIL and tell her our plans - ie this evening

But - instead - he is saying Oh it's fine. I'll mention it to her soon-ish Confused

Now this is worrying me. I feel that a lot of issues with the PILs etc happen due to very poor inter-familial communication (eg why the fuck is MIL telling DH that children aren't allowed in the hotel when that is bollocks and apparently she hadn't even checked at that time?)

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread