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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

DS driven my husband and DD to leave

175 replies

donutqueen11 · 31/10/2021 22:31

Tonight my Husband has taken our DD and moved to his brothers house. My 13 yr old ASD son has driven them to leave. No one in the family likes my son apart from my auntie and one cousin. They all gang up on me and blame me for the way he is. I feel like just taking him and leaving and starting afresh where no one knows us. Because no one else can cope with him I have always done everything alone and actually there are no issues when it is just me and him. I just hope my DD will come too but think she will choose her dad and GP's!! I am distraught it has come to this but actually don't see any other way. ;0(

OP posts:
Itsnotallaboutyoubaby · 01/11/2021 00:30

Flowers OP as it sounds like a traumatic night

saraclara · 01/11/2021 00:33

@donutqueen11

Husband is sons biological dad. He absolutely adores school and is appreciated for who he is so no issues at school at all. Academically he is flying and he has a fab group of friends - the teachers love him - he thrives on routine and is a credit to the school. He is so polite and well mannered - it is just at home he is so rude and verbally abusive to H and anyone who sort of mocks or doesn't understand his quirks or obsessions.
Then the last thing you should do is move him from there to make a fresh start. He is hugely fortunate to have that positivity around him at school. Most asd teenagers don't. And moving to a new school where no-one 'gets' him, at 13, could be disastrous.
saraclara · 01/11/2021 00:35

Have the rest of the family had training in managing someone with asd? Do they understand the condition?

It's a bit late now of course, but it sounds as though family counselling and education are needed.

PyongyangKipperbang · 01/11/2021 00:40

So what exactly does he do?

Mouth off at his dad sometimes or full on kick off/meltdown?

Either way it sounds like your DH doesnt actually love your son and I suspect has never accepted or supported either him or his diagnosis. And if his family are the same then that would explain it.

Not on for him to take your DD though, that should not happen without discussion with all of you.

How old is she?

PyongyangKipperbang · 01/11/2021 01:09

Thinking further, did DS "drive" DH to leave or is DH using him as an excuse to leave? Seems all a bit iffy to me to be honest

CiaoEB · 01/11/2021 01:20

Was there a specific incident with your DD that caused them both to leave or just a gradual build up? It sounds really stressful for you all, I hope you are able to work it out.

TheBurmundseyIndustrialEstate · 01/11/2021 01:38

It sounds as though you have been battling the whole family dynamic and the way they are too invested in you and your son’s relationship.
It sounds like your husband has been over sharing with his relatives and getting them involved when he should have been more supportive of you.
He obviously doesn’t quite understand the difficulties that your son faces and is blaming you for his behaviour rather than coming to terms with his condition.
It’s possible that your daughter feels as though her needs get neglected as a lot of your energy is needed to handle your son but leaving seems very extreme.

  • perhaps you can use this as an opportunity to place some boundaries between his wider family and you, and initiate weekly nights where you see your daughter.
Mummyoflittledragon · 01/11/2021 03:38

Has your h always treated your ds with disrespect? And has he influenced your dd to turn against her brother? How old is she and are her needs being met?

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 01/11/2021 03:52

So he's a "school angel, home devil" type by the sounds of it. I have many friends with children like this - they mask all day, which takes all of their energy to do, and when they get home, they have none left to cope and all the exasperations of the day come out at once. In one case, as she leaves the school gates when her mum picks her up.

I agree at 13 they can be just awful anyway in terms of rudeness, bad manners, attitude (I have one of those) - but to add in all the exasperations of masking all day, yeah, I can see that's going to be a very volatile situation.

If your DH hasn't learnt how to deal with your son yet, then that's on HIM, not you. He should not still be mocking him (adding to his stressors) or trying to deal with him like a NT teenager because that isn't going to work. And for that reason, maybe it's better that he's gone.

Your DD though - has she no empathy? Does she follow her father's lead? Is she older or younger than your DS. I can see that she might prefer a quieter life, if she is NT, but still - it's very sad if she's abandoning her brother too.

Having said all that, I do think that if your DS is occupying ALL your time, then I can see how your DH and DD would feel sidelined by you - so maybe that is something you can address. Sounds like you need family counselling, in all honesty.

PrincessNutella · 01/11/2021 04:20

You and your husband need couples therapy immediately. I don't see this as your husband being bad and you being an angel. I suspect that he feels as if you set the ground rules and he feels as if he is not allowed to step in or he gets overruled. You need to have a more equitable coparenting situation.

Nyxs · 01/11/2021 04:27

Its really impossible to give advice.

What I can say is, I feel like this some days. Ds is ASD. His dad (my ex) is shit with him and not bothered. I know people feel he is hard work and it breaks my heart.

That said, he sent rude or abusive to anyone and no one is winding him up either .

Home is his safe space and his older sister, completely understands and is great with him.

I also, know, I can be over protective. I also know ds can be wonderful up by people just going about their business with no intention of winding him up. And ita my job to make sure he is OK but also not expected everyone to walk on eggs shells.

We can only take your judgment on this. But it's hard to know is your husband purposely winning him up. Is your dd? Or is your dd just living her life and things she does wonder him up.

And what happens. Is it verbal abuse, physical? Melt downs not aimed at anyone? And how often?

thegameisafoot · 01/11/2021 04:29

@donutqueen11

Husband is sons biological dad. He absolutely adores school and is appreciated for who he is so no issues at school at all. Academically he is flying and he has a fab group of friends - the teachers love him - he thrives on routine and is a credit to the school. He is so polite and well mannered - it is just at home he is so rude and verbally abusive to H and anyone who sort of mocks or doesn't understand his quirks or obsessions.
Does anyone include DD, i.e. is her brother verbally abusive to her too?

When you're not an only child, you have to share importance with your parents. When you're a neurotypical child and your sibling is not, it can feel like you're never at the top of the priorities list, and you're never the more important one. Although leeway must be made, with siblings, they should always be more important from time to time, e.g. assuming they don't share the same birthday, that's at least one day a year when one should get the spotlight more.

What I'm trying to say is that maybe a break away from her brother and some one-to-one parent time would be good for your DD. The one-to-one parent time might be good for your DS too (although I'm aware that the 'harder' parenting has been dumped on you without consultation, and that's really not fair).

Separately, there is the issue of what to do about your DH, because as the grown up in this scenario, he's not allowed to have enough and run away. I think it's positive he's taken your DD, as it means he hasn't abandoned all parental responsibilities, and if he thinks he's protecting her as well as himself, he's not an unfeeling brick.

Yes, the whole thing is a mess, but if he's still acting as a parent to one of your children, there might be a way back from this. He might just need some extra support from a third party.

Would it be possible for your aunt to spend some time with DS, and your BIL to spend some time with DD, so you can your DH can meet up on neutral ground and have a chat about what you both expect will happen next? Does your DH really think this is the solution, or is he just taking DD away to give her a break? How does he think they can reintegrate into the family home after making your (and DS?) feel so unloved?

I think some family counselling might be good, if he's willing to try that. And whilst you're doing a marvellous job in parenting a child with ASD, he's clearly struggling - are there any support groups/resources he can access? It's OK for him to find it harder than you. It's just not OK for him to give up and leave it all to you. He might have a personality clash with his DS, but he's still his dad. Running away doesn't change that.

I know you're tempted to now run away yourself, but as you said, your DS's school are great with him. I wouldn't want to lose that stability and structure, especially when the rest of your family life is so uncertain right now.

Be kind to yourself too. This is all a lot to take in, and I'm not surprised you feel overwhelmed and upset - it sounds like you've spent well over a decade being 'the glue' and that is such a hard job. Even 'the glue' melts sometime. If you're working, take some time off so when your DS is at school, you have have a little cry and and process your emotions. You need some time for you too. The glue is important.

MakeMineAdoubleChocolate · 01/11/2021 05:29

I'd fight for your son and your daughter and tell your husband to clear off.

Is your son verbally abusive purely because he is mocked, or is he randomly like this due to Asd???!

MakeMineAdoubleChocolate · 01/11/2021 05:30

To be fair, we need more information, if possible Op.

NumberZ · 01/11/2021 05:39

I feel for you OP also have a son with ASD and my partner told me last week he’s distanced himself from him, which makes me so sad as they used to have a lovely relationship, he can flip moods so quickly I do feel like our younger son will not want anything to do with him as he gets older.

Also he can’t handle is he is ‘Mocked’ but he takes offence at everything so it is walking on eggshells around him. He’s with his Dad half the week and I think that’s the only thing that is saving our relationship.

SantaIsComingToTown · 01/11/2021 06:11

My brother has ASD, rarely violent but awful to live with duet verbal abuse, whole world revolving around him, given the opportunity I would have flead with my father absolutely. It is actually really hard for siblings and they arent really allowed to say anything or they are in the wrong. There was no to little attempt to prepare him for adult life, with the expectation I'm a dutiful sister who is used to it, he is my brother, of course I'll take the full burden. He went to mainstream school, so hewasnt profoundly autistic and certainly could be more independent now. Through my choice I'm low contact with my parents now, will be NC with brother once they die. They are aware of this and think I'm a terrible person, maybe you do too.
It can be very traumatic for the siblings of autistic children and leave scars that takes years of counselling. It robs you of your own childhood.

I hope that perspective might help you understand where your daughter is coming from. If you want to have a good relationship with her, I'd be as supportive as possible, you will miss her but her well-being is important to you. Pay for counselling if you can. Recognise it is shit for her, don't critise her for sharing her feelings, or explain to her why they are wrong.

MushMonster · 01/11/2021 06:28

Your son is verbally abusive to your husband?
And you mention mocking, and not understanding quirks.
You need to get him to understand that he cannot treat his father like this, neither his sister.
I doubt the father is mocking him? Is this what happens?
If he is well behaved in school, surely he can manage to be better than this at home.
It sems to have fallen on you to get him to see this, which is going to be tough.
Is he rude to his sister? Are there any issues between them?
If the problem is only with his father, hopefully they can try to rebuild, but you need to back up your DH when your son is being rude to him.

Grida · 01/11/2021 06:47

It sounds like an incredibly tough situation. What has he done to your DD? How does he behave towards her? People don’t usually want to leave home because their sibling is a bit quirky and has obsessions.

Ebony69 · 01/11/2021 06:53

@donutqueen11

Husband is sons biological dad. He absolutely adores school and is appreciated for who he is so no issues at school at all. Academically he is flying and he has a fab group of friends - the teachers love him - he thrives on routine and is a credit to the school. He is so polite and well mannered - it is just at home he is so rude and verbally abusive to H and anyone who sort of mocks or doesn't understand his quirks or obsessions.
Where does it say actually say or even imply that the DH mocks his son? I don’t see anywhere where the OP says that unless I’m completely missing it?
picklemewalnuts · 01/11/2021 06:59

@Ebony69

"is just at home he is so rude and verbally abusive to H and anyone who sort of mocks or doesn't understand his quirks or obsessions."

This implies H 'sort of mocks or doesn't understand'

MangoIce · 01/11/2021 07:03

It’s impossible to give advice when we don’t have the full picture of your home life. Most dc act differently at school to how they do at home. Why is your ds difficult to get along with? What does he do to upset dh and Dd?

Siblings of autistic children can be strained because they feel that their autistic sibling gets more attention than them. This can cause the NT child to copy the negative behaviour shown by the autistic sibling and “acting out” so they too can get their parents’ attention, good or bad. It also might be scary for your Dd to see your ds’s anger (putting on a front at school can be really tiring, especially for autistic people so they release the frustration at home).

Fraine · 01/11/2021 07:18

Agreed, we need the full picture. Why does your DH/DD mock DS and what happens when DS is verbally abusive to DH/DD?

Lovemusic33 · 01/11/2021 07:42

How old is your dd?
I left my dh 6 years ago because I felt I was raising my 2 dc alone, both are on the spectrum and so was he (possibly) but he was always in denial about their autism, never attended school meetings or hospital appointments and he often caused tension in the house. Things have been so much easier without him and my dc are much more relaxed.

I think you have to do what is right for ds, if you dd is a teen then I think you need to accept that she may want to stay with her father, she may change her mind after a while and return when she realises the grass isn’t greener on the other side.

Porcupineintherough · 01/11/2021 07:46

I think if you want people to agree with you or even disagree then you need to provide more info about what is happening between your ds, your dd, their father and yourself. Clearly things have reached crisis point but what's actually going on?

GoingForAWalk · 01/11/2021 07:50

By mock do you mean general banter.

You have to be careful on MN as posters love to focus on one single point and get their claws in. It's exhausting, relentless and throws a thread off balance. So be clear in your explanations.

I have a friend with an extremely difficult teen DS and her DH and younger DS find it hard to cope with and they've had to leave home a few times as it's just too much and at times and dangerous.

My own DS sounds similar to yours re difference at School and home. It's exhausting but not as bad as your situation.

Sometimes everyone needs that space apart because we all have different coping levels and your DD is also a priority here