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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

Freind living with me during seperation

25 replies

supercali77 · 17/11/2024 15:17

A very long time freind of mine has separated from her husband and left the marital home. She was a sahm for 20 odd years, she has kids from early teen to early 20s. She has nothing. No savings. No job. No income besides a small amoubt of UC. She does have the right to half the family home when she divorces. She had to leave because the arguments were awful and he refused to leave the house.

I have a spare back room which she's been staying in for the last few months. I dont ask for anything in return. She goes over and visits the kids/makes dinner. One of her kids i think is ND and in extreme stress over her leaving and having to stay with the dad. Hes harming himself physically. A prime source of their arguments was her dh felt she should have gone back to work long ago. He's critical, puts her down, criticises the kids etc. I love her dearly but...over the last couple of months I'm starting to question her priorities.

She's done very little in terms of finding work, gets distracted easily, has done nothing towards figuring out how to initiate a divorce and therefore have access to shared assets. She spends time meditating, she's gone on a whole day long meditation thing this weekend. I've never had a bad word to say about her before but at the moment I'm finding myself feeling angry, and like shaking her to come to her senses. I dont want to ruin a freindship, how do I broach this? I really feel she needs to wake up and act to get herself financially stable so she can provide a home for her kids.

OP posts:
ginasevern · 17/11/2024 16:34

Sounds like her husband might have a point. There's two sides to every story. She's got no incentive whilst you're basically paying for her keep and she's living in a stress free environment. If you're not careful you could get stuck with her. You need to sit her down and tell her that the arrangement was only until she got herself sorted, and tell her what that actually looks like. In my experience no good deed goes unpunished, so don't let her walk all over you.

Nelly555 · 17/11/2024 17:14

I really do feel for your friend. She has probably had all her confidence sucked out of her and it's still very early days.

She has found sanctuary at your house and is probably burying her head in the sand. It's an awful feeling having to face selling the family home( where will her children live?) and trying to find a job when you haven't worked for a long time.

You have been a wonderful friend helping her. Obviously this arrangement can't continue indefinitely. It sounds to me that she is trying to look after her mental health at the moment.

Can you have a conversation with her about her future plans? Maybe suggest therapy or some support agencies that may help?

You really are a good friend but I feel that she needs a gentle nudge to move forward.

PeggyMitchellsCameo · 17/11/2024 17:57

The two answers above are so different!
I think your friend is enjoying the peace and quiet, OP and while she doesn’t have much she has a nice comfy home to live in and a bit of freedom.
I feel for her poor son who is in such distress.
Situations like these destroy friendships. She knows how kind you have been but she’s taking advantage now.
If she’s not prepared to find a job then she needs a new home.
None of this is your responsibility.

Pandasnacks · 17/11/2024 18:00

It's crap that she's been a stay at home mum all that time and then has left the kids behind to deal with the ex on their own. I'd struggle to maintain a friendship with someone like that. Not sure what the answer is, maybe start gently pushing for a moving out date? Don't have to enforce it but it might motivate her to get moving.

Fireworknight · 17/11/2024 18:02

You need to set a limit. Tell her she’s welcome to stay until x date, ie, end of January or whenever. Sometimes it’s useful to have other visitors coming to stay at that point, or you need the room as you’re decorating your room, or do excuse. As others have said, you’re may have gained a female cocklidger.

Also, if she’s not looked for jobs, take the bull by the horns and sit down with her. Don’t leave it up to her - that method hasn’t worked. Help her do get cv, apply for jobs, find somewhere to rent etc. It’s now time for action.

Dollshousedolly · 17/11/2024 18:05

You need to have a conversation with her and give her a set notice period to move out. Maybe also tell her that she needs to contribute to household bills and you expect xx amount per week for this.

Quitelikeit · 17/11/2024 18:06

I feel for your friend but she has now had enough time to make a plan.

She can’t stay as she is and nor should you continue to enable her.

If she wants to drop out if motherhood, then that is in her.

However she is an adult and she needs to realise that she needs to house, feed, and fund herself.

She should have applied for housing, a room share perhaps?

She can claim benefits for staying in your room if you want that? Personally I’d steer her away from you

Time for her to pull herself together

The only way she won’t do that is if you keep babying her

betterangels · 17/11/2024 18:06

So, she's gone from the husband to you. You should set a deadline or you'll be bankrolling her indefinitely.

Peanus · 17/11/2024 18:07

I fry the end of my friend.

Dotty87 · 17/11/2024 18:10

Is there a reason she can't stay in the marital home until it's sold? There may be arguments, it won't be particularly easy for her to live with her H while they navigate divorce, however you can't keep proving free housing for her.

If there's abuse or violence that's of course different, and she needs to get into the council, call women's aid and sort something out.

Pumpkinpie1 · 17/11/2024 18:10

I think that interfering in your friends marriage issues has come back to bite you.
She has left her kids while she “meditates “
and drifts about expecting others to solve her problems.
Personally I can’t understand how she could leave her kids especially when they are self harming!
Talk to her and explain that the offer of a room was temporary and she needs to find a job and somewhere else to live .
It sounds as if her husband has a point and maybe you weren’t hearing the whole truth about their arguments.

Dotty87 · 17/11/2024 18:11

Providing, typo!

BalladOfBarry · 17/11/2024 18:12

Peanus · 17/11/2024 18:07

I fry the end of my friend.

Do you?

Op, this sounds awful. The poor child. I'd tell her she can't stay any longer. She needs to go home and sort this out.
If they're divorcing, she can get this sorted and get the house on the market while she's back there.

Sunnyplain · 17/11/2024 18:22

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Pandasnacks · 17/11/2024 18:25

Also does she realise she needs to get a job to start paying maintenance now she's left?

LadyMargaretPoledancer · 17/11/2024 18:28

She needs a plan and to move forward. Don't enable her to do nothing, that won't help her in the long run.

Start talking timeframes about when she'll be moving on or you'll end up the substitute husband financially supporting her. It's not healthy for her and it's not fair on you.

supercali77 · 17/11/2024 20:19

Thanks everyone for the advice. Re leaving, there wasn't much alternative, the arguments involved physical situations. She's been to women's aid, they suggested she find an alternative to home and DA shelter. So that's why she's with me. Re housing, she's on various housing registers, however she does have shelter with me and her kids do too (at home), so she doesn't count as an emergency candidate. It's all a bit of a mess and she's fallen through the cracks.

I have recently started saying that I think she needs to call solicitors, investigate legal aid and get the ball rolling. She's pinning her hopes on social housing but as I say above I know she won't be a priority. So I have said...I think you're going to end up having to privately rent, and therefore find work. And she needs a fairly large place for her and the kids. I say these things, and she will nod and agree, and then later I'll find her...I dunno, researching the history of female engineers or something. I half wonder if she is undiagnosed adhd.

She is a lovely person, easy to live with, kind, and that's what's making this so hard.

It seems the majority advice is that I'll need to apply some gentle pressure, like asking for a time frame, a plan for independence. I don't mind hand holding through the process like helping her keep focused. Going with her to solicitors etc. Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
BruFord · 17/11/2024 20:30

So she’s not contributing to her keep at all, you’re paying for everything?

That really isn’t on, she ought to be making an effort to contribute, quite apart from sorting out her divorce. It’s very rude, tbh.

gamerchick · 17/11/2024 20:40

You know you need to give her a date to move out OP. She's not going to fire up until she's made too. If she has a ND kid, the chances are her also being ND are high.

If you carry on enabling her, she won't focus on what she needs to focus on.

supercali77 · 17/11/2024 20:43

@BruFord to be fair to her she did offer when she first moved in but I refused...to my mind in order to get the money together to get herself a place she needed to save all she could. I was fine with this on the presumption that there'd be some...urgency? Towards independence. What with the kids etc. She puts in for utilities now since the heatings on more.

OP posts:
supercali77 · 17/11/2024 20:45

@gamerchick yep, I'm terrible at setting limits, it makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. I can see I'll have to for her own benefit as much as anything else

OP posts:
BruFord · 17/11/2024 20:47

That makes sense @supercali77, you’re a lovely friend. I agree with PP’s that she needs to get things moving now or she’ll still be with you this time next year!

dannimay · 17/11/2024 20:56

If she hasn't worked for 20 years she isn't going to start now. People like that are completely disconnected from the real world of work. She's probably waiting for the divorce settlement as her next financial fix and in the meantime biding that time at yours.

Fireworknight · 17/11/2024 21:11

I not sure about gentle pressure, maybe some firm pressure is needed now.

I can tell you a nice person , letting her move in, not accepting money etc. but she’s beginning to take the P…s. She’s been there months not weeks, and no further forward. You obviously wanted to give her space to adjust initially, but I think the all day meditation has tipped the balance. She can arrange that, but not make any plans for the future.

Fireworknight · 17/11/2024 21:11

dannimay · 17/11/2024 20:56

If she hasn't worked for 20 years she isn't going to start now. People like that are completely disconnected from the real world of work. She's probably waiting for the divorce settlement as her next financial fix and in the meantime biding that time at yours.

And that can take a year!

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