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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

Tired of second guessing myself

17 replies

Ispy · 19/12/2009 07:17

Really looking for some advice. In brief, have been married to dh for 10 years. We are different nationalities. I met him in my home country and we moved to his country where our first 2 children were born. I was very homesick so we moved back to my country for a few years. Our third child was born in my country. Didn't work out for various reasons, mostly because he couldn't hack life there. I realised early on in our return to my country that it wasn't going to work out for us and that our marriage would flounder if we didn't move back to his country. We have moved back since August of this year and so far things are going ok relative to a huge move etc. and all the stresses that brings. We have had our issues over the years, mostly down to very poor communication. I'm a communicator. He's not. We have attended marriage counselling with limited success. We have very little in the way of a sex life which is a real lack for me but he doesn't seem to care. He seems very unaware on a weekly basis what is going on with me and the kids, ie Dr's appointment/test results for me (I have an auto-immune conditions) and never asks/remembers about my daughter's tutoring sessions (new school curriculum which she needs help on). In short I feel we have an okish marriage with peaks and troughs of when we are getting on and when we're not. Before moving back here we had some discussions on some expectations that I had, one of which was that we would have a family christmas in our own house every year. A month or so ago I reiterated my wish to have a family Christmas and dh mentioned he would like to spend it with his family who live an hour away. He backed off once I expressed my disappointment. At this time we also discussed the possibility of his family coming over on 26th for a celebration. At a later time I extended an invitation to members of his family for the 26th.

My mother is visiting at the moment and has extended her stay beyond the original 2 week planned stay due to a fall which resulted in a fractured pelvis.

DH and I have not been getting on too well this week and I thought it would be nice for us to go out to dinner tonight once the kids were in bed so we could spend some time together and my mum could babysit. Before we left the house he said that he thought that it would be too stressful to have Christmas at home with my mother being incapacitated and that we should spend it with his family. When I objected he then said he hadn't spent Christmas with his family for 4 years. We left to go to dinner and sat in the car and I lit into him while sitting in the driveway. I was so angry after everything we had discussed about moving here etc. He called me a fucking selfish bitch and again that he hadn't spent christmas with his family for 4 years. He also talked roared about how I would create such stress while preparing dinner etc. He then stormed off and when I came into the house he left for a few hours and came back at 10 and went straight to bed.

So now I'm in the position where I feel all the good has been taken out of the Christmas I so wanted to make for us in our new house. The venom and anger that he exuded towards me was enormous.

So the title of my thread is about second guessing myself. He would have me believe that this is all my fault and that in fact he is a wonderful husband who I don't appreciate.

OP posts:
IsItMeOrSanta · 19/12/2009 07:58

My instant reaction is that it sounds a bit like he said what he thought you wanted to hear to get you to move back to his home country.

Is there a cultural difference about what counts as "family"? With 3dcs, in my family, the norm would be that you spent Christmas in your own home and did visits no earlier than boxing day once the kids have had plenty of time to play with their presents.

What does your mum think?

Sounds to me as if you need some more marriage counselling, as it doesn't sound like either of you are communicating very effectively at the mo.

Sorry that Christmas is not going to be what you hoped for this year. If you are going to have any pleasure in it, my suggestion is that you ask your mum to look after the kids so that you and DH can have a non-shouting discussion about how you are both going to compromise.

IsItMeOrSanta · 19/12/2009 08:00

And no, based on your description, it isn't all your fault!

diddl · 19/12/2009 08:24

Would it mean leaving your mother alone?
Can his parents visit you Boxing Day?
When you were in "your country" what did you do re Christmas?

IsItMeOrSanta · 19/12/2009 08:46

diddl I read the OP as saying she has already invited his family on Boxing Day.

Plumm · 19/12/2009 09:54

A family Christmas means something different for everyone. For you it means you, DH and DC's but for lots of people it means parents and in-laws as well.

It is unfair of him to agree to your version of Christmas and then demand otherwise, but is there a reason you don't want to see them on Christmas Day? can't they come to yours or do you dislike them?

Ispy · 19/12/2009 13:34

Thanks for the responses. It's 5.30am here and I can't sleep. To answer the questions, it wouldn't mean leaving my mother alone. She would come with us wherever we were going. When we lived in Ireland (where I'm from) we spent Christmas at home.
His brother always stays at his own house for Christmas with his own family.
I don't dislike his family. I do find them overbearing at times, especially his mother. I am full of compromises - have moved here, thousands of miles from home.
Have to go, baby just woke up.

OP posts:
Ispy · 19/12/2009 14:12

I'm feeling wretched and have a headache from all the crying I did last night. He is up there in the bed and I can feel the anger seeping off him. I haven't slept and have had to come downstairs again.

Any advice on how to proceed without Christmas being ruined? Obviously my priority is the children having fun, so do I just shut up for the sake of peace and just go to his brother's for the day?

OP posts:
diddl · 19/12/2009 14:22

So how does it stand at the moment?
Christmas Day at yours with your Mum& his family visiting Boxing Day?

If your mum is going to be there Christmas Day, why not have his family over also?

Ispy · 19/12/2009 14:26

They always spend Christmas in their own home which is why I invited them over on the 26th. The reason dh initially said we should go there is because it will be too stressful in our own house, ie I will create a lot of stress making dinner and telling him what he hasn't done.

OP posts:
Tanee58 · 19/12/2009 14:45

Ispy, sorry to hear your Christmas is going so pearshaped. Join the club!

What about trying a compromise? What he called you, and his behaviour since, was not respectful to you and really extremely childish; however, it's amazing how Christmas makes children of us all. My thought is that, if he hasn't spent Christmas with his family for four years, he has some justification for feeling the call of home, though he's expressed it really badly. You could consider compromising by suggesting that, if things ARE going to be stressful at yours, you all go to his this year, so he has his day with his parents after 4 years, but that next year, you have it at your house, without his parents if they prefer being in their own home, but seeing them on boxing day - and then alternate in future. Would you consider this?

diddl · 19/12/2009 15:26

If his parents spend Christmas Day at home, would they want you plus your mother there?

Would it be stressful in your house?

I don´t cook for many -never more than three adults & two children, but I´ve never found it stressful.

It´s only like a Sunday lunch, after all!

Ispy · 19/12/2009 15:28

I will probably compromise and just go there for Christmas. The reason I would do that would be to take the stress of the current situation off me and after our argument last night I don't particularly want to go to the trouble of trying to make something he doesn't want any part of. He knew I wanted a family Christmas and this was one of my conditions of moving back here. But that's just me being a selfish bitch. I'm still very upset and angry at him. I feel like I'm pandering to a bully.

OP posts:
Ispy · 19/12/2009 15:29

xposted diddl. my dh has decided that I will be stressed and will be pointing out to him what he hasn't done.

OP posts:
Ispy · 19/12/2009 15:33

Also diddl his mother lives with dh's brother and rules the roost where entertainment/holidays are concerned. My sister-in-law will probably just be told that we are coming, rather than being asked.

OP posts:
IsItMeOrSanta · 19/12/2009 15:36

You sound like you need a good friend to take you out for tea and cake right now (well, maybe when it's proper daytime where you are).

Okay, deep breath. Hand on heart, is there any truth in what he says about you getting stressed and picking fault with him?

Because, if not, then yes, I do think you may be just pandering to a bully. It is not acceptable him calling you a selfish bitch in my book.

I'm just scratching my head trying to think of ways that you could make christmas day special for your children with your H behaving like a prize arse...

diddl · 19/12/2009 15:47

He does sound like a bully.

I guess I´m very selfish in that I like Christmas Day as self, husband, children.

Can take or leave parents
Neither husband or I feel any great need to see our parents on Christmas Day!

Tanee58 · 19/12/2009 17:14

Tea & Cake sounds good - as my DD has just said, alcohol makes you feel like shit the next day. Tea & cake = mmmm warmth... sugar....

In the meantime, no you are NOT a selfish bitch - you are just trying to make a new Christmas tradition for your own family in your own home. If he's that desperate to see his folk, he could always go off to his brother's on his own (I am just WISHING my DP would do this - he's just announced he is not going to his mother's as originally planned, leaving me stuck with him moping around over Christmas whilst I go to my sister's - but that's another happy story).

If you do compromise and go to his this year, you MUST make it plain that next year, you ARE going to have your own family Christmas at home, as he previously agreed. If you make clear plans as to who does what next year, it shouldn't be stressful. And if he doesn't step up to the mark, detach yourself and enjoy what YOU are doing, knowing that YOU are not causing the stress, make Christmas what YOU want. It's got to be give and take, or else, why bother?

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