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Biased Husband

Discussion in 'Married Life' started by kenny, Jul 26, 2017.

  1. kenny

    kenny Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear friends,
    Offlate i have been busy so come here seldom.Life has been fine with some mountains and some plains.
    Those who dont know about me,let me make it short.I am married to the only son,who is manipulated completely by his widowed mom.He lost his dad when he was in college so they hv been quite close since then.I have a sis in law who is married in a diff country.I had lot of problems in the initial years of marriage but gradually learning to deal with them...though some of the things pinch me even now.
    Its been close to a decade.My baby is 4.5 now...
    Since the beginning mil has always made my husband distant from my folks...She never entertained him meeting them and being close to them.I had lots of fights for all stupid reasons ever ,whenever my folks came to visit ,since my mil always humilated them.My parents always came to help me and stayed with us ...it was either my deliver or 2 major surgeries i had gone through...that time was hell for me since i was physically and emotionally broken down and my mil used to always poison my husband for them
    Past 4-5 years he has not visited my parents place even once...though i go and spend time with them and take my daughter also...they try to create problems for me for doing that but i put my foot down...I love my family v much and i am v close to them so i dnt want to be deprived of being with them.They know i will not listen to them.I just book the tickets and go.
    Now coming to the point....we had a vacation for the first time to Sils place who lives abroad....
    To my surprise,i saw her house so mismanaged....for whom Mil used to compare me all the time...Now i know what she is.My sil also has always kept a distance with me since beginning....we have a formal relationship.She has 2 kids...i have one...so when my child was born,she sent so many old clothes to me saying my child can wear them...i was furious...I told my mil in simple terms that i will not make my child wear all these...Most of them had turned yellow and looked so old...(We give gold to her everytime she comes and give the best of dresses to her kids still she finds faults in them).So this didnt stop here..
    One year later when her husband visited our place she again sent me a pile of old clothes for my baby...I was like what the hell...cant i afford new clothes for my baby...The idea was that i should sort out from them and see whatever we like we can take from them since they are branded clothes.i had fights with my mil and my husband both... My husband happily took out few from them and made my child wear them...but i st away said that she will not wear these.okay may be 3-4 clothes may be good but why does she need to send the whole pile everytime...that was my hatred about ,why cant she just send few good one ,imagine she even sent few used bibs...does any one give used bibs to any one .Now this time when i went there she again had a pile ready for my daughter...every day she used to tell me to check which ones i want to take.I told my husb that dont wana look at that...but he has never supported me,neither infront of sil nor mil,i have to fight my own battles.I avoided saying i will see later ,then even told clearly that she has many new clothes her cupboards are full,she doesnt need them,but she was insistent every day still saying at least have a look.So one day to please his dear sister he took out the pile and started searching.I did not respond then told her v clearly saying if you 4-5 good special dresses you can give her and i will take them but i dont like sorting.She said all are special to me..So i sat up and spoke...''Dont mind but i felt v bad when u said so many old clothes to her,she was just born...many of the clothes had even turned yellow since her daughter is 4 yrs older than mine.i dnt want to look through all this ...if u really feel there are some good dresses u can take out urself i will take them(even i have worn my cousins as a kid,good dresses which were really nice,since kids grow fast and i understand that ,we dont feel like giving them to maids too since some are v nice dresses).But the point if she would even put casual clothes there which look like crap...i told her straight that u even sent clothes which we wear at home...She became so aggressive and went away in anger.Everyone dispersed and all were angry since i stood up.I cant tolerate nonsence.Now next morn i just said good morn and carried on...since we were at their place.We had to go shopping that day.So my mil went with me,my husband stayed with sil sicne both had some office work saying that they will join later.
    And when my husband came to the mall he was furious(probably both bro and sister fought v badly ).So everything came up on me...He was saying we need to go home today...you spoilt my holiday...andthis and that...my mil joined him cursing me and my family.
    My sil is basically v dominating being the elder one and has got what she wanted.My mil is always like a monster to me but infront of her she is a meek woman.Everyday my sil used to shout at my mil their for the household chores since she used to go to office and my mil had to handle her kitchen and babies..Mil in turn doesnt like helping anyone she has never helped me too...so she used to bitch about my sil infront of me and my husb everyday..So there was a drama everyday.
    Now probably after my conversation with her she fought with my husband complaining about my mil too...
    So here my husband doesnt see his sisters wrong nature.
    i told him straight i will talk to her personally...and i did...In the eve calmly spoke to her that whatever differences we had, why should that spoil your and ur brothers relationship..a brother sisters bond is v diff.He loves you dearly and is v stressed with the fight.Why could you not clearly talk to me .I told her that i dont like the causal clothes being sent ,,,she could have simply taken the good ones out n given me...She understood i felt and the whole atmosphere became fine...My husband didnt speak to me for a day but later became nml seeing things were in place...
    Later infact i took ONLY party wear dresses from her...just to make a good relation and clear the point.
    I did it just to let the relationship go smooth and then we cam back finally....
    Was i wrong here??can anyone suggest.Secondly my brother who lives altogether in a different country is coming to me after 2 months with his new born baby...so i bought few new dresses for her ..Mil gets so irritated whenevr i buy something nice for my family...Inturn they give me so many things...I overheard her telling my husband (When they were keeping the stuff which my sil had given)saying see such good desses they were and she created a scene.You do the same when his brother comes.
    I feel really depressed and anxious fr these things...Inspite of me making the effort and sorting out stuff with his sister also still my mil has a habit of poisoning my husb for my family...
    Now i want their stay to be happy sice its just a week...but i know my mil will do something or the other withmy husband.How to manage this...can anyone suggest.Sorry for the long post.
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2017
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  2. amnilakshmi

    amnilakshmi Gold IL'ite

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    you were right. Anyone in your place would have done the same. no worries
     
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  3. Nonya

    Nonya Platinum IL'ite

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    You may be wrong. In some countries, hand-me-downs are given to good friends or sisters. Your SIL may have meant that as a gesture to let you consider her as part of your family or friends circle. When some phoren person uses the checked-in luggage allowance in air-travel, and brings along baby clothes for you, that is a nice thing to do. If you didn't like those things, you could have quietly given them away, recycled, or tossed. A friendly response would'a been to send her a photo of your child in one of the hand-me-downs.

    When you are in phoren, the first excuse to decline stuff is that airline checked-bag allowance weight. Or take what you want, that are usable as packing materials to protect breakables in your luggage, and toss when you get home.

    You had escalated a good or harmless thing into a debacle for yourself.

    Google "hand-me-down etiquette".
     
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2017
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  4. MNR

    MNR Gold IL'ite

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    Hand me down may be great etiquette , if the receiving person is fine with that.. As a courtesy giving person should check whether receiving person is fine with that.
     
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  5. MNR

    MNR Gold IL'ite

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    OP , congrats finally you spoke. First time itself , you could have put your foot down.
    If you handover your kids cloths to your SIL without her interest. she will feel same as like you.
     
  6. ashneys

    ashneys Platinum IL'ite

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    I have seen this tradition of hand me downs. But when there are Stained clothes involved and when you aren't comfortable, then there is no point. So I don't think you were wrong here.

    N I think you handled the situation pretty well and sorted things with your Sil. That's a good thing.

    In regards to your mil, regardless of anything you do, your mil would anyway cause trouble as she has done in the past. So don't think it's just because of something that you did.

    About your bros visit, I am assuming your whole family knows about your mil's character. So I think it's better to warn your brother about your mil's plan, so he will be ready and understand the games. Also be ready to play a strong referee, pacifier, blackmailer, anything that may work to keep the situation stable during their stay.

    Stay strong n play smart, that's the best way to handle this.
     
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  7. Sandycandy

    Sandycandy IL Hall of Fame

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    Totally agree with you here ! I think the rule is if it's good enough to wipe the floor , don't give it to anybody. Nobody likes to wear stained discolored clothes , even at home. So the OP is right in feeling the way she does . But I totally disagree with OP's comment that one does not feel like giving clothes to the helpers kids because they were too nice . If one feels offended receiving not so nice clothes, one should also feel uncomfortable giving out such clothes.
    In a way this whole thing should have been nipped in the bud the first time SIL offered the stained clothes and things probably would not have escalated this much.


     
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  8. Shreema86

    Shreema86 Platinum IL'ite

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    Can you do this, Take your brother and sil into confidence . Tell them that if your husband says something inconsiderate please ignore and not take it badly , its his mother who is instigating him.
     
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  9. Minion

    Minion Platinum IL'ite

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    What kind of a guy is he will this dumbass carry a load of very old cloths to his sisters house ? What are these guys brain made with.
     
  10. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Good. Going to visit your parents and family is your right and if problems are created around that, you pick that battle and put your foot down and just buy the tickets and go.

    It is your right to make this an issue. Someone is sending or giving you clothes in spite of your telling them not to. You can do what you did - speak up, fight with mil, fight with husband, tell SIL, tell her again after she is not talking to you over the matter. Or you can go with the flow. Take the clothes, "sort" them, and reject all. Except mom, hardly any family member can remember child's clothes. No one will notice that your DD is not wearing any hand-me-downs. If they ask, you can say, I sorted and none were good.

    It is your choice whether to be frank and keep reiterating your objections to getting the hand-me-down's, or you can just give the whole pile to the maid servant or somebody.

    Yes, you were wrong. Terribly cluessless-ly wrong. You say "just to make a good relation" "just to let the relationship go smooth"... but your acts are ones that make the clothes issue into a battle.

    I also understand how irritating it can be to receive really bad condition clothes, and to have to be the one to sort through the pile and dispose off the rest. But, you are going about dealing with it in the wrong way. Like your husband quietly has not visited your place in the past 4-5 years, you also quietly don't even look at the pile of clothes they send/give.

    Your SIL is married in another country. Why fight with MIL and husband over her acts? What do you gain beyond a temporary satisfaction?
     
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