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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

Should my wife support me on this?

555 replies

OzzyGrandad · 10/05/2025 07:19

My wife & I attended a Christmas dinner at our daughters in laws. The dinner was on the table but there were still a few items to be placed & finalized. I asked my daughters mother in law if it was ok to start, she said yes. The rest of the party sat down & I had already begun eating. (I admit was not a good move). I believe the son of the mother in law wanted to say grace before dinner & was angry that I had started. He launched into a tirade of abuse, aggressively belittling me about my bad manners. I tried to explain that his mother had said it was ok to start, but this was ignored. I remained calm for the rest of the evening & then we went home. The next day I texted the son, explained my position & informed him that I would not tolerate such verbal abuse again, hoping he would regret being so abusive & apologize. He texted back, F off D Head.
We drop our grandson at his house every weekend & he returns him on Sunday. I asked my wife, when he drops his son off, to be courteous, but to not show any of the usual friendliness, just pick him up & say goodbye until he apologizes to me for his behavior. My wife refused, saying it was between me & him. She behaved as if nothing had happened & was friendly.
My question to the readers of this story is, should my wife have agreed to just be courteous & not friendly, or was she right to ignore my feelings on the matter.

OP posts:
Digdongdoo · 11/05/2025 16:15

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 16:09

Thankyou AngelicKaty for your kind words.
TinyFlamingo thank you for your interest in my problem. Whilst I don't really want to deny my GS his right to a relationship with his father, I think the father must face consequences for his disrespectful actions. A week or two after the incident, I had it out with him face to face. He did not sincerely apologize, but he did say that it would never happen again. For the sake of peace I took that as a small apology, but have never felt comfortable with it & kept interactions with him to a minimum.
He & my wife however have increasingly become more friendly. This subject came up between my wife & myself recently, & it is causing distress within our marriage now. Perhaps it is a male pride thing, but I find it very difficult to watch this man who disrespected me, being best buddies with my wife, (all whilst not paying child support for a child that I/we are raising for him). It really is now getting to be a case of it is either him or me. My wife must face that choice because I cannot live with it. I cannot respect myself if I do. I can live with a cordial exchange with the father at the weekends which GS would witness & need not suspect animosity. I can only hope that the father reflects & understands & finds a way to make amends.
I realize that my demands may lead to divorce, but staying in the marriage would be worse in my mind, I would never be comfortable.

Edited

You're making your wife choose between you and a cordial relationship with the father of your grandchild?
Your willy won't fall off if you don't win this battle you know?
Fucking hell. Poor woman and poor child.

AngelicKaty · 11/05/2025 16:26

CosyLemur · 11/05/2025 12:32

Honestly you're on Mumsnet, you've asked if your wife is in the wrong. No one will ever agree with you.
Someone on here the other day admitted that she physically and verbally attacks her partner when she's upset the overwhelming response was that he must do something to deserve it.

For what it's worth - I agree with you, she should stand up for you!

"No one will ever agree with you." Well, that's not true, is it? You have and I have.

redcord · 11/05/2025 16:32

It really is now getting to be a case of it is either him or me. My wife must face that choice because I cannot live with it. I cannot respect myself if I do. I can live with a cordial exchange with the father at the weekends which GS would witness & need not suspect animosity. I can only hope that the father reflects & understands & finds a way to make amends.
I realize that my demands may lead to divorce, but staying in the marriage would be worse in my mind, I would never be comfortable

OK, now that we could call 'over-egging the pudding' (to continue the dinner theme). You might know it better as 'jumping the shark'. Your story just took a right-turn into La La Land.

bigboykitty · 11/05/2025 17:16

redcord · 11/05/2025 16:32

It really is now getting to be a case of it is either him or me. My wife must face that choice because I cannot live with it. I cannot respect myself if I do. I can live with a cordial exchange with the father at the weekends which GS would witness & need not suspect animosity. I can only hope that the father reflects & understands & finds a way to make amends.
I realize that my demands may lead to divorce, but staying in the marriage would be worse in my mind, I would never be comfortable

OK, now that we could call 'over-egging the pudding' (to continue the dinner theme). You might know it better as 'jumping the shark'. Your story just took a right-turn into La La Land.

😂 this 💯 %

dapsnotplimsolls · 11/05/2025 18:12

So you're prepared for your marriage to end if she doesn't behave differently and/or if he doesn't make amends (he never will). Ridiculous.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 11/05/2025 18:14

dapsnotplimsolls · 11/05/2025 18:12

So you're prepared for your marriage to end if she doesn't behave differently and/or if he doesn't make amends (he never will). Ridiculous.

Sounds like the very essence of a controlling partner. I really hope for her sake that she's willing to walk away.

ForRealCat · 11/05/2025 18:19

You don’t start eating before the host has sat down and everybody is ready. When someone points out that this is fucking rude, you don’t double down and give a reason as to why you are “right”, you just apologise. You don’t hold on to a grudge for 4 months. You don’t try to control your wife’s behaviour and reactions by telling her with what degree of friendliness she can greet somebody.

On so many counts here, you are being an absolute dick.

LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta · 11/05/2025 18:25

OMG get over yourself Ozzi! You're being completely ridiculous with your idiotic male pride. And you're being controlling to your wife UGH

tara66 · 11/05/2025 19:12

You have far too much time on your hands which allows you to fester over one small incident 4 months ago where you, yourself were not entirely the innocent party. You need a hobby. Skydiving or such may help you realise this is not a significant matter. You seem to get worse and worse! Divorce now is it?!

Commonsense22 · 11/05/2025 19:34

OzzyGrandad · 10/05/2025 12:35

I tried to keep my original message as brief as possible, & in doing so I have caused confusion amongst many responders. My grandson is 4 years old. His mother, (my daughter) had an episode with an illegal drug which left her with mental scars & is officially mentally disabled. From birth the baby boy has been in my wife's & my full time care. The father is not married to my daughter but wishes to have a relationship with his son (for which I am happy to facilitate). He is single & works full time. He has the grandson (Locky) on Saturdays & his mother (Nana) has him on Sundays. We usually drop him off to the fathers house & he usually returns him to our house.
We had a friendly good relationship, having Christmas at Nana's every year. Grace was never performed until this last year. (Possibly because a friend of the father was religious) He & his fathers 2 friends who were in attendance had been in a drug rehabilitation clinic where religion was a priority.
The dinner was almost ready to go (the meat had been sitting there & beginning to go cold) & people were milling around, so I asked the host (Nana) are we ready to go? She said yes "Get stuck in") So I led the way, sat down & started carving the meat. Everyone else also sat down following my lead & were about to tuck in when the father began his tirade. I am not sure of exactly what he said because I was so shocked, but I can assure you it was aggressive, belittling & humiliating. All the other guests (fathers family & friends) sat there in silence.
I texted him the following day that his verbal abuse was not acceptable & I would not tolerate it in future. His response was F off - D head, I'm not apologizing.
Do people really expect me to accept this.
My response is to maintain a polite relationship, to continue with the grandson sharing, but I cannot be friendly with him now until he apologizes, or at the very least recognizes the hurt he has caused me. I did express regret about starting the dinner before he was ready, as an olive branch, but that was rejected.
Had he directed that tirade to my wife, I would whole heartly have supported her, however, she prefers not to get involved therefore supporting the father. Encouraging him to do or say whatever he likes to me with no consequences.

Yes, that's exactly what you're expected to do.

A person with anger management issues of potentially a psychiatric nature displayed shocking and highly inappropriate behaviour. A sane person rises above and moves on.

Do you not get how deeply immature amd frankly bizarre it is to feel like you are owed an apology?
The person is not rational. There are many priorities in this situation, and your poor little bruised pride isn't one of them. Honestly, it shouldn't even have got to you, once the initial shock over.

By wanting some kind of apology or tit for that you're stopping to their level.
Do you realise that women lose all respect for men with pride / anger management issues? It's so much more worthy of respect to stay in control and rise above these situations.

Phoenixfire1988 · 11/05/2025 20:12

Absolute height of bad manners to dig into food before everyone ESPECIALLY the host is seated and ready to eat , you can't of been that hungry you couldn't wait a few more minutes !!! You are indeed a d!ckhead

Missj25 · 11/05/2025 20:41

Phoenixfire1988 · 11/05/2025 20:12

Absolute height of bad manners to dig into food before everyone ESPECIALLY the host is seated and ready to eat , you can't of been that hungry you couldn't wait a few more minutes !!! You are indeed a d!ckhead

How TAF is the biggest part of this story to you ,
OP begun to eat when he shouldn’t !!!! 😂 😂 🤦🏻‍♀️

SamkaSabrinka · 11/05/2025 22:27

ok so to my mind, your explanations are so thorough and resonable, and two things are very very clear:

  1. The issue was that the son/father of the child wanted to show some sort of respect etc. to the rehab guests who'd found religion, and make a thing of saying grace. You ended up the fall guy. He has/had a solid ok relationship with you, but your starting (totally with the green flag from Nana) kind of messed up his gig so he turned on you.

I'm sorry That's obviously totally bad, wrong, etc. and must have felt awful, and should not have happened. You so did not deserve that.

  1. Your wife, bless her, wants to keep the peace. Not just for your grandchild's sake, but also because everything was ok before, and quite nice, and given how everything anyhow is very not normal, that bit of comfort from families ok and sitting down together for celebrations etc was very precious.

My first thought reading this was yes yes you are right, you are being disrespected, your wife should support you.

But now writing this I'm thinking differently.

The father of your grandchild obviously has issues. Many reasons to see this. But you've been doing your best to keep him as a father figure in your grandchild's life. Which is absolutely right, and admirable, imo.

So don't let this derail you.

What's the aim? Best life for your grandchild despite the situation of his parents. Most normal life.

So .... and I know this is a challenge ... maybe think about dropping it. Knowing heh's wrong and you're right. But dropping it nevertheless, for the greater good. xx

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 22:31

Commonsense22 · 11/05/2025 19:34

Yes, that's exactly what you're expected to do.

A person with anger management issues of potentially a psychiatric nature displayed shocking and highly inappropriate behaviour. A sane person rises above and moves on.

Do you not get how deeply immature amd frankly bizarre it is to feel like you are owed an apology?
The person is not rational. There are many priorities in this situation, and your poor little bruised pride isn't one of them. Honestly, it shouldn't even have got to you, once the initial shock over.

By wanting some kind of apology or tit for that you're stopping to their level.
Do you realise that women lose all respect for men with pride / anger management issues? It's so much more worthy of respect to stay in control and rise above these situations.

Commonsense22 If someone at a family dinner party called you or your husband a rude, ignorant A hole, (for whatever reason) then refused to apologize, are you honestly trying to tell me you would happily meet this person every week & act as if nothing happened? (Oh, hi John, nice to see you again, come in for a cup of tea & a chat why don't you). Get real.

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 22:41

Nanny0gg · 11/05/2025 09:56

Why are you asking?

You are convinced that you're right

Nanny0gg I am asking you & anyone else on this forum how they would feel & how they would react if someone at a dinner party insulted you, or your partner by calling you a rude, ignorant prick, then refuse to apologize. Also, if your partner invited them to your house every week for a friendly chat, how would you feel about that?

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 22:57

Littlejellyuk · 10/05/2025 23:14

So I led the way,
sat down & started carving the meat. Everyone else also sat down following my lead & were about to tuck in when the father began his tirade.

  1. So you lead the way from where?
  2. You sat down where? At the head of the table?
  3. Carved the meat that was only on your plate or the big roast piece of meat for everyone?
  4. You physically started eating when he verbally abused you?

Sorry for the questions, but I'm trying to paint a picture.
He's a prick for having a go at you, btw.

Hi Littlejellyuk By "lead the way" I meant I began the process of encouraging everyone to take a seat & start the meal before it got cold. Granted it is not really my task to do, but it was an informal family dinner. I sat near the roast & began carving the meat for everyone, the father was one of the last to sit down. I don't recall if I had started, but by his reaction I probably had. In hindsight, I should have waited that short time until everyone was seated, but the party was not really that formal. Either way, it certainly did not warrant being call a rude, ignorant prick in front of everyone. IMO.

Digdongdoo · 11/05/2025 23:00

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 22:41

Nanny0gg I am asking you & anyone else on this forum how they would feel & how they would react if someone at a dinner party insulted you, or your partner by calling you a rude, ignorant prick, then refuse to apologize. Also, if your partner invited them to your house every week for a friendly chat, how would you feel about that?

Your wife is grown up enough to put the child first. You're sulking and making it all about yourself. So pathetic.

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 23:28

goldenretrieverenergy · 10/05/2025 07:46

Both you and your DS were incredibly rude. I am not sure what you expect your wife to do. The fact that you are still stewing about this after such a long time makes me sorry for your DW. Just speak to your son, surely this is between two of you and your wife doesn’t need to choose sides.
I don’t see how holding grudges will make this any better.
And next time, wait before you start eating. It was a Christmas dinner! I don’t understand how you thought it was okay to start before people are all seated, it’s incredibly rude.

goldenretrieverenergy Imagine you are at the Christmas dinner. Everything is just about ready to go. The roast has been sitting there & is starting to go cold. You ask the host "Is it ok to start" she says Yes, Get stuck in. You begin carving the meat for everyone and they begin to sit down. The father is the last to sit down & calls you a rude, ignorant prick at the table, (presumably because he wanted to say grace which he had never done before), & presumably because he didn't hear the host say OK to start. You don't argue back & cause even more of a scene, you let it go. How would you handle it from there?
The following day, I texted the father & asked for an apology. He refused & says F Off D Head. How would you handle that?
He visits every weekend to access his son. I am cordial, I hand the GS over with a simple Hi, & Goodbye. How would you handle it?
I am raising his son for him & he has paid no child support in 4 years. I think I deserve a little more respect & an apology, & if it is not forthcoming, then he does not deserve my friendship. I am interested in how you would handle all this.

LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta · 12/05/2025 00:21

Ozzi, you have Main Character Syndrome. A lot of men do, especially the older generation. You place your ego above everything, and here this has gotten to ludicrous proportions.

"A week or two after the incident, I had it out with him face to face. He did not sincerely apologize, but he did say that it would never happen again."

He said he's not going to do it again. That's all you need to know. YOU don't have to be Friends with him but if you care about your 4 yo grandson, you will accept that and LET THIS GO.

Demanding that your wife should be your loyal servant in this situation is creepy. She's a human being who makes her own choices. She's not an extension of you, nor your flag bearer. You sound pompous and self-absorbed. I've known many men like you, including my SF. He annoyed everyone with his self-centeredness and his silly petulant fits when he thought he wasn't being treated the way he thought he should be (a VIP). And a lot of us cheered privately when someone told him off because he was wearing on our nerves with his overweening self-importance and grumpiness when things didn't go the way he wanted them to.

But my SF was better than you: once my H told him off - in broad public (20 people plus there) - for the disrespectful way he kept talking over my H's mother (my MIL). My SF went quiet, got a red and angry face and walked out of the house in a huff while slamming the door. BUT later he came back and apologized to my H and then to my MIL, and then to me, my FIL, and my mother. Another time, he said something very rude to my mother and I told him off and we had a nose to nose shouting argument, and he left in a rage but again, he got obver himself enough that he later apologized to me and my mother. That ability to jump over his own shadow made the relationship between him and I bearable while my mother was still alive.

You're now threatening divorce over this issue. Go ahead, divorce. Maybe you think you'll find twu luv and a servant wife who will abide by your every dictate. Maybe you already have your eye on a candidate. But you're almost 70. Be careful what you wish for. A lot of divorced women of your generation know what they want, and it isn't to be a nanny with a fanny coddling some self-important geezer.

And then there's your 4 yo grandson. When you divorce your wife, are you going to look after the child part-time? Or don't you care about that, and that job will fall 100% on your wife's shoulders?

ballettap · 12/05/2025 01:23

Discombobble · 11/05/2025 08:45

No, your wife should not indulge you in this ridiculous attention-seeking vendetta - you have a child to consider and should be concentrating on him and his best interests. Grow up

Tell that to the child's actual father.

ballettap · 12/05/2025 01:28

Commonsense22 · 11/05/2025 19:34

Yes, that's exactly what you're expected to do.

A person with anger management issues of potentially a psychiatric nature displayed shocking and highly inappropriate behaviour. A sane person rises above and moves on.

Do you not get how deeply immature amd frankly bizarre it is to feel like you are owed an apology?
The person is not rational. There are many priorities in this situation, and your poor little bruised pride isn't one of them. Honestly, it shouldn't even have got to you, once the initial shock over.

By wanting some kind of apology or tit for that you're stopping to their level.
Do you realise that women lose all respect for men with pride / anger management issues? It's so much more worthy of respect to stay in control and rise above these situations.

The father shouldn't be around the child if he has anger issues and psychotic tendencies, and normal sane people think an apology is reasonable. Still unsure why all the hate towards the OP.

EmeraldShamrock000 · 12/05/2025 01:33

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 22:41

Nanny0gg I am asking you & anyone else on this forum how they would feel & how they would react if someone at a dinner party insulted you, or your partner by calling you a rude, ignorant prick, then refuse to apologize. Also, if your partner invited them to your house every week for a friendly chat, how would you feel about that?

I would understand exactly why relationship needs to be kept amicable.
Your DGS is the priority.
How would you feel if DW made him angry and he crashed with DGS.
Report his anger issues to child services.
Otherwise get over your pride.

Excitedbride2b · 12/05/2025 06:46

OzziGrandad · 11/05/2025 23:28

goldenretrieverenergy Imagine you are at the Christmas dinner. Everything is just about ready to go. The roast has been sitting there & is starting to go cold. You ask the host "Is it ok to start" she says Yes, Get stuck in. You begin carving the meat for everyone and they begin to sit down. The father is the last to sit down & calls you a rude, ignorant prick at the table, (presumably because he wanted to say grace which he had never done before), & presumably because he didn't hear the host say OK to start. You don't argue back & cause even more of a scene, you let it go. How would you handle it from there?
The following day, I texted the father & asked for an apology. He refused & says F Off D Head. How would you handle that?
He visits every weekend to access his son. I am cordial, I hand the GS over with a simple Hi, & Goodbye. How would you handle it?
I am raising his son for him & he has paid no child support in 4 years. I think I deserve a little more respect & an apology, & if it is not forthcoming, then he does not deserve my friendship. I am interested in how you would handle all this.

Firstly, I have the manners to know not to start food before everyone is sat.

Secondly, I would not have text him the next day, to add fuel to the fire and then text him about it again

I would absolutely be cordial towards him and move forward for the sake of the child. Your feelings shouldn't come into it, the only person who matters and is innocent in all of this is your grandson. Imagine how he feels. For his sake, just move on

Discombobble · 12/05/2025 07:26

ballettap · 12/05/2025 01:23

Tell that to the child's actual father.

We control our own behaviour, not other people’s. OP behaving like a child with a grudge doesn’t help family relationships. He’s making it all about himself, rather than considering the child in the middle

PlaygroundSusie · 12/05/2025 13:08

If I'm reading the OP's updates correctly, his wife isn't simply 'being cordial' to the grandson's father. Rather, she's pro-actively inviting him inside their house, making him cups of tea, and having a good chat and a laugh with him, as if his tirade at Christmas never happened.

OP, is that correct?

If so, I completely understand why you are upset!

That said, it would really be a shame if you and your wife divorced, especially as it would make things harder for your grandson. Would you and your wife consider marriage counselling at all?