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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

DIL stepping back from us

310 replies

redkitesatnight · 16/09/2022 12:24

Hi, not posted before but read mumsnet for years. After some advice please. I have 3 sons - 1 engaged and two single. This is about my son who is engaged. We have always liked his fiance, she can be a bit OTT sometimes and dramatic but my son loves her very much and we have always welcomed her, and she has always played an active role in the family. However since the strat of this yr she has taken a noticeable step back in the family. Less keen to be involved in family things. When visiting she is 'working from home' on weekday visits and sits up in room 'working'. She has twice criticised one of my sons to me when they have upset their brother (my son who is her fiance), when I just leave my sons to it and don't see harm in it. It stems from when my eldest split from his wife who she was close to. It got messy but I stood by my son, as any mother would. My DIL is still close to his ex and I think she is influenced by her. I'm worried what will happen if they have children/will she end up making my son distant from his family? WHat can we do to help matters.

OP posts:
LovingTheseAutumnSnippets · 16/09/2022 18:49

Here is what has happened here.

Your son's ex wife has been treated really badly by your son. He has cheated on her. Your ex DIL has said he has, so she must have some proof. Not only did he have an affair, but his mum, her MIL, and the rest of his family, believed him, stood by his side and had no further contact with her, cutting her off. On top of her marriage ending, she also lost her new extended family. She was probably devastated.

Your new DIL to be has witnessed this, has heard it all from his exW, and seen how devastated she was. She probably can't believe how callously this innocent friend was treated by you all. She probably thinks her fiancé is a great guy, but is not prepared to put her neck on the line to get hurt like that. She is probably wary.

She sounds like a very smart cookie TBH. She is not taking any crap off anyone. She seems how your DS has treated his ex, and she sees how he treats his brother and she is sticking up for him.

You should all be worried. She has her fiancés best interests at heart, and is a strong woman. She loves your DS and so puts up with you all. However, you better start showing her and him a bit more respect or, like you have said, you will have issues with future GC.

LovingTheseAutumnSnippets · 16/09/2022 18:54

Just one more final thing. Your sons treat their brother poorly and one treated his exW poorly. You are not a good mother, otherwise you would have read them the riot act.

I've brought my DS's up to be respectful to everyone. I've also told them that it is not acceptable to cheat on partners and they will have me to answer to if they hurt others.

You need to ask yourself why your sons act the way they do. I really do not tolerate my DS's being horrible to anyone.

GordonShakespearedoesChristmas · 16/09/2022 23:01

redkitesatnight · 16/09/2022 12:37

@arethereanyleftatall my other sons do proper jobs out of the house. only she and my middle son can do this 'working from home'. SHe finds it easy enough to stop working if she has to go to an appointment my son tells me.

I can assure you my job is very proper and 80% from home. I work 8-6 and have no time for any kind of socialising.
You are rude, patronising and have a seriously bad attitude.
And you wonder why she doesn't want to engage with you!

Geppili · 16/09/2022 23:42

What @LovingTheseAutumnSnippets says.

PineOrange · 17/09/2022 00:19

You are continuing the drama and mounting a smear campaign against you ex DIL.

You wish for there to be taking of sides, the statement of yes he had an affair on one side (the exDIL) and your son's side of no he did not have an affair.

This is like school yard bullying, it is not necessary and it appears you are finding some sort of pride in defending his honour. Your son does not need you to further hurt his ex, he has done enough damage to her, you are contributing to the gaslighting she has already suffered I should imagine.

It is abuse, to allienate and intimidate a victim and I'm sure your ex DIL neither wants nor deserves 3 brothers (two of which are burly brickies) and a bullyish MIL who is trying to maipulate others to drop their friendships resulting in even less support for the poor woman.

Do you not think she has suffered and been humiliated enough.
Leave your present DIL alone and respect that she has her own views on the matter.

It's a good job there are no children involved, the mess and hurt would have been even greater.
Think about this for future grandchildren, your blind devotion will cost you dearly in years to come if you cannot tolerate the truth.

SwordToFlamethrower · 17/09/2022 08:04

redkitesatnight · 16/09/2022 12:37

@arethereanyleftatall my other sons do proper jobs out of the house. only she and my middle son can do this 'working from home'. SHe finds it easy enough to stop working if she has to go to an appointment my son tells me.

Something about you seems off. You seem like you're being judgmental and helicoptering.

Stripedbag101 · 17/09/2022 08:11

I think OP is feigning stupidly over working from home. She is being deliberately goady, and nasty. Pretending she couldn’t possibly understand jobs that aren’t brickies.

the comment about her not learning about this in school is really odd. Surely she watches television, reads boos, listens to the news? She must understand people can do high pressure jobs from home?

She doesn’t like her daughter in law - it’s as simple as that. So if her daughter in law doesn’t put her above her job then is disrespectful.

the quotes around working from home and proper job are intended to show OP’s distain for her daughter in laws career.

Lifeisapeach · 17/09/2022 08:18

I can totally see why she has an issue.

Shinyandnew1 · 17/09/2022 08:34

You have shown that they will be dropped instantly on the word of your sons. It will be hard for them to trust you or ever to be close in these circumstances.

Exactly! If I was your DIL I would rather be in my office working than talking to you. I wouldn’t want my future children anywhere near you either-you sound toxic.

It clearly doesn’t have to be this way though. You could recognise what you are doing and stop!

surreygirl1987 · 17/09/2022 08:34

my other sons do proper jobs out of the house

Ouch. So you don't think she has a proper job. I'm inclined to think it's you that's the problem, not her!

unicorndream · 17/09/2022 08:45

You sound like my mother in law. I've blocked her on everything possible and if she comes to visit, I leave the house even if it's for a week or more. And we have children. I'm also friends with his brothers ex, who shares similar stories to me of how vicious and spiteful she was.
I don't stop them seeing the children, but I'm not present when they do.

Fairislefandango · 17/09/2022 08:48

You clearly have a very old-fashioned and blinkered attitude towards jobs and a rigid attitude towards how you think family relationships should work. That's the problem here, not your DIL.

Flutterbybudget · 17/09/2022 08:52

It seems to me, that first thing to do is invite your son and DIL to visit on a weekend, for once. And spend some time just with them (not your other sons) for a couple of hours. Talk to her about her job, not in a judgemental way, but out of genuine interest. Don’t make it too heavy, I don’t know how old you are, but maybe along the lines of “when I started work, we barely had computers, and no internet, let alone being able to work remotely. When I saw all the stories about people being able to work from home, through the pandemic, I was amazed” … “I’m really impressed that this is possible” …. “I’m not sure that ‘I’ would have the discipline to do it, when there are other things going on” etc. ASK her what she does? BE interested. As you say “she IS family”.

With regards to your other son, and his marriage, maybe he cheated, maybe he didn’t (I’ve known both to happen). In many ways that doesn’t matter, the marriage is long over, and his ex has nothing to do with the family now. What DOES matter is how this affects your PRESENT DIL. If his ex wife is her friend, then she no doubt believes the story, then she will be very wary of a close relationship between her husband and his “cheating” (and obviously inferred lying brother). The only thing that will heal that is time. And the acceptance that even someone who once cheated on their wife, can still be a great brother, friend, and even a great partner to another woman. There really is nothing that YOU can do to accelerate that process, and protesting your sons innocence will not help. She will see it as you refusing to see any fault in your son, and will fear that you would also blank any suggestion that her husband isn’t a paragon of virtue, and take his side in any disagreement. You love your sons unconditionally, but it doesn’t mean that you need to be blind to their faults.

Tell her stories about them as kids, as examples of natural sibling rivalry. When they argue, recount stories such as “Not again, 🙄, I remember when Johnny did …. And Billy got revenge by …. I never thought they’d speak again, but it blew over in two days”. I don’t know whether she has any siblings, but individual sibling relationships can be hard to understand by others. I have friends, and I don’t really understand their relationships, and I know that others sometimes look at me and my siblings, or look at my own kids relationships with each other and don’t understand them.

Don’t go overboard, you know, like don’t just hit her with all of the above the first time you meet up on a weekend 😂 just build on a relationship with her. Get to know her better. Built trust. And accept that it’ll take time.

Flutterbybudget · 17/09/2022 08:53

Some of the comments on here are really harsh tbh. The lady posted for advice, and has taken on board what was said. No need to keep repeating the same negative comments.

messymonkey1074 · 17/09/2022 08:58

I think people are being harsh with their responses.
I work from home but if my MIL comes over to see her son (who has a lot more flexibility with work than I do) I usually find a window to pop down and say Hi otherwise I’d feel rude.
If I couldn’t I’d message her in the evening and say sorry I couldn’t pop down and explain why. I think it’s just basic manners.

I wouldn’t try and control her relationship with your ex DIL. That would be very unfair.

I do think it’s more difficult being the Mum of a son when it comes to them getting married/having kids - far easier being the Mum of the daughter.

Novum · 17/09/2022 09:08

redkitesatnight · 16/09/2022 12:58

Family should come before friends. My eldest is her family. His ex isnt anymore.

Why does she have to believe your eldest automatically rather than her friend? Bear in mind that her friend may well have shown her evidence of his infidelity that you haven't seen.

If she is family and family automatically comes first, why didn't you believe your DIL automatically when she said she couldn't stop working to come and greet you?

PlanningTowns · 17/09/2022 09:12

i haven’t read all the responses but have read your updates.

you say you won’t get as anxious over the work. Don’t get anxious at all about it. You’ve explained that you come from a family of brickies. Physical work on site is very different to sitting at a desk all day. Neither is less proper than the other, they are very different. I also can’t get past the fact you think that when she isn’t on a call she can’t be working, where in earth does this come from… I wfh and when not on a call, surprisingly I’m doing the work I picked up in the calls! You need to accept that she is working and move on, pretend she isn’t in the house if it makes things easier.

the friends less important than family… well you’re lucky to have that situation! She was obviously close to the ex and continues to be friends. Stop trying to control her or worry about what they discuss - noneofyer. She has clearly picked up on your alienation of the ex and can se it would happen to her. You seem to pick and choose to suit you and expect her to follow suit.

ling term this isn’t going to end well for you. She is picking up on all your negativity and rightly stepping back.

however she obviously feels reasonably comfortable as she has criticised your other son to you. She didn’t ask you to get involved, and your response is you don’t get involved with that. Weird because you’re getting involved in her business but not her sons.

please reevaluate your approached before they marry and have children (if they can/choose to)

GreyGoose1980 · 17/09/2022 09:13

You have just said your other sons have ‘proper jobs’. How patronising to your DIL and son that work from home. Also why are you so sure your other son wasn’t cheating. No wonder your DIL is keeping her distance.

C8H10N4O2 · 17/09/2022 09:18

messymonkey1074 · 17/09/2022 08:58

I think people are being harsh with their responses.
I work from home but if my MIL comes over to see her son (who has a lot more flexibility with work than I do) I usually find a window to pop down and say Hi otherwise I’d feel rude.
If I couldn’t I’d message her in the evening and say sorry I couldn’t pop down and explain why. I think it’s just basic manners.

I wouldn’t try and control her relationship with your ex DIL. That would be very unfair.

I do think it’s more difficult being the Mum of a son when it comes to them getting married/having kids - far easier being the Mum of the daughter.

The MiL isn't the visitor here, the DiL in this narrative is WFH at her house solely to suit the preference of the son to travel on Thursday night.
Does your MiL routinely describe your work as "work" and expect you to automatically believe her DC whatever you think?

Its utter tosh that being the mother of sons is harder than being the mother of daughters in terms of their adult relationships. Most of the problems I see result from expectations that the DiL will be a some sort of surrogate mother for the son.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 17/09/2022 09:19

You are massively disrespecting her with your attitude to get job. You are also being controling by trying to decide who she should side with. You sound like a MIL from hell. Can't you just accept her as a person?

Pheefifofuckthisshit · 17/09/2022 09:21

Jesus OP. You sound like an actual real life nightmare! 😱

Why are they coming and staying over at your house so often?! How would you react if they didn't?!

I hope your DIL sees sense even further and doesn't marry into this nonsense tbh. She's clearly realising your true colours and I'm relieved for her. The fact she's still coming to stay overnight as a grown adult shows she's massively more tolerant than I'd be!

Pheefifofuckthisshit · 17/09/2022 09:24

Oh and my mil have her son a proper dressing down when we split. She didn't "side" with anyone or blindly believe anyone. She had no rose tinted spectacles on and knew her son was capable of being less than perfect.

We still have a good relationship.

I am also a mum of boys and I'd not blindly support them if they'd done wrong. Yes I'd still love them but I'd make it known I was disappointed and hoped they'd behave better. (He HAS cheated. But whether he has or not he's hurt this woman, you blindly siding with him has helped no one.)

Pheefifofuckthisshit · 17/09/2022 09:24

Gave, not have.

Theblacksheepandme · 17/09/2022 09:38

LovingTheseAutumnSnippets · 16/09/2022 18:49

Here is what has happened here.

Your son's ex wife has been treated really badly by your son. He has cheated on her. Your ex DIL has said he has, so she must have some proof. Not only did he have an affair, but his mum, her MIL, and the rest of his family, believed him, stood by his side and had no further contact with her, cutting her off. On top of her marriage ending, she also lost her new extended family. She was probably devastated.

Your new DIL to be has witnessed this, has heard it all from his exW, and seen how devastated she was. She probably can't believe how callously this innocent friend was treated by you all. She probably thinks her fiancé is a great guy, but is not prepared to put her neck on the line to get hurt like that. She is probably wary.

She sounds like a very smart cookie TBH. She is not taking any crap off anyone. She seems how your DS has treated his ex, and she sees how he treats his brother and she is sticking up for him.

You should all be worried. She has her fiancés best interests at heart, and is a strong woman. She loves your DS and so puts up with you all. However, you better start showing her and him a bit more respect or, like you have said, you will have issues with future GC.

Fantastically well put.

Banana2079 · 17/09/2022 09:42

Rude why would you visit you then go upstairs in your house to work from home? 😂 she should plan visits on days she is not working . I would
have a word with her and just ask is everything okay? Yes she may still be friends with their ex-wife but that’s up to her she is allowed to criticise (but to a point without being rude About your son in front of you)
I wouldn’t do anything I would just continue to be friendly with her don’t criticise the ex-wife in front of her and don’t get involved in any arguments about the split -that’s between your son and his ex And not you.

If they have kids together I’m sure u will be an active part of the children’s lives considering you can go round and visit, If she says anything about your other son again I would just say it’s none of our business really it’s between him and his ex and we shouldn’t be discussing it and leave it at that, That way she won’t see you as siding .

When she has a child she will see that she will be protective of her child no matter who is at fault And hopefully understand your stance but I wouldn’t worry about something that hasn’t happened yet and the child belongs to both your son and her I’m sure your son would want you to be an active pal I think you are worrying too much

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