My inlaws are 92 moving into an aged care hostel near us. Previously they've lived 4hours away. I'd like advice on how not to let them make me sad with the way they treat me, (which is by ignoring me and almost pretending I'm not there), and with how they live. I've gotten used to it and realise that by not standing up for myself when 1st married (at 25) that the way they treat me is partly my fault. My husband & I have just had 5 days at their house with them, packing up their things prior to them moving into the hostel. although they were quite good about the packing decisions and we were able to get a lot done I'm now miserable in myself and trying to work out how not to let them effect me like this. I guess I'm worried that with them moving closer & having to see them more often it may really affect me (make me more sad?). OK - I'll give you some examples, my husband is an only child, he had a lonely childhood with 'older' (for the time) parents in their 40's. his parents told him when he introduced me to them I was not good enough and suggested other girls who would be better, it's gone on like that. when we visit a few times a year, they laugh when I'm cold in the house, but do not turn on heating or provide blankets, smaller portions at meals are dished out for me, they think it's funny if I'm still hungry. for many years I've taken my own food and blankets. I'm grateful I don't have to go to their house many more times. this long weekend while packing their house and working for them, I slept outside with our new puppy - who was not allowed in their house, which is fair enough I guess, but not even the laundry, a lot of this time was stormy with driving rain. I provided the food and baking for the weekend, mainly in the hope of having food to eat myself, even this was not a foolproof plan as hubby insisted his mother do the reheating of the meals I bought and dishing out - again we were hungry, (they like to eat fewer meat & veg and more desert and cakes which is not good for me). don't get me wrong, I like camping, & it was lovely in our tent at night to get away from the extremely loud tv (father in law won't wear his hearing aid, the noise and him not hearing me speak is my fault / problem not his). but they did not enquire if we were ok outside...why start now. the thing is they've rarely had anything to do with us, and show little interest in our lives. this weekend we were packing up their lives and they were saying things like ' where have the last 50 years gone'...this makes me so sad, as they have had only 1 friend in that time, no hobbies, no clubs, rarely called us or (thank goodness) visited us, they have a large extended local family and have little interaction with them, yet they are quite fit and healthy. just a void where other people have hobbies and interests. weirdly mother in law has more recently started almost reaching out to me for a hug when she sees me, this is way out of character & makes me wonder what's going on. I feel so sorry for the emptiness in their lives, although I don't know if they see it, I think not, yet I think she is lonely. yet I would not say they are happy. they exist in their own little world and think they are marvelous people...perhaps at this age this is an entitlement, but I've known them for 20 yrs and they are the same...their days are spent grumbling about their neighbours and old wrongs, rarely do they interact with the neighbours or other family in a positive way. I often suggest gifts and things for us to give them, if they know I've had anything to do with it they say it's a bad idea (unless it's my cooking - they are good eaters) - gifts with both our names on are claimed by them to have come from my husband only. and yet this year they bought me a birthday gift. I'm quite confused. I've felt bad for days now, sad and depressed after spending time with them, usually I can shake it off. My husband does not understand how sad they make me feel, he thinks they are just difficult and old, I just look at them and see so much time wasted, where they could have had activities and helped their other family. I think my mother in law would actually have enjoyed seeing us more and sometimes she is almost fun, but father in law is like the snake in the undergrowth, very selfish with an amazing sense of entitlement, so confident that he will be 1st in all things, have the most food, and have all things done for him, then ignore me. any advice much appreciated. I think the other part of this that makes me so sad is that all my older family have passed away, they had friends and helped in the community, had interests and were interested in us, it makes me very sad that these non-interest people get to still be here and my loved ones do not. I'll have to deal with this closer to home soon, any ideas would be great.
As others have said, we should have put our foot down in the beginning or else avoided them!
Looking back to the 80's when I broke away I can only say I don't regret trying to be good to her all those years, my consience is clear. Had I stayed in that family I KNEW I would be the one to take care of her in the end. She went to a nursing home finally. Hubby's new mate avoided her too.
Best of luck. I agree that you should make it clear from the start that they are not going to "use" you after how they've treated you. They will, no doubt forget the reason. Narcissists never take the blame for their mistakes. Sorry......
Try not to blame yourself, as someone said, "they were mean people".
Hugs
Have to ask ... are your in-laws of the Italian persuassion? Not meant to offend anyone that is but just know from personal experience that while not as horrible as your FIL my FIL (deceased now) was a real treat too and very similar ... Hate to talk poorly about the deceased and also of the Italian nationality but he was a real pip when it came to "who he was in the pecking order" He ate steak and the kids ate hot dogs ... he hid cookies that were all for him and no one else (he got diabetese a payback?) He said no and it was no ... I remember dating my husband ... when they found out I wasn't Italian they were besides themselves but learned to deal with it. THEN 17 years later they got what they always wanted an Italian DIL ... Talk about "becareful what you wish for because you might get it" deal ... and boy oh boy did they get it ... She was and still is a total nut case and has cause them huge amounts of grief ... While I the non-Italian DIL they would rave about to anyone that would listen ... Problem with that is I was no good until they knew me ... then I was a gem ... Thing with me is I know how to tolerate ... even if I don't like ... and I tolerated them both well ... in fact I tolerated them so well even my husband thought we were all hunky dorey! He was a tyrant ... treated his wife my MIL like a slave ... Told her what to cook every morning before leaving for work ... and boy it better be on the table and waiting for him when he got home and he was not as bad as his father was! She handled no money and had no clue about what they had in the bank. Now his father was 100 times worse that guy used to get sponge bathed by his wife (I would have drowned him). One of my friends after metting my FIL for the first time said thank God your husband is nothing like his father ... he would never have made it in life. I remember once my FIL and I had words ... and he said that he and I could never have been married ... to which I replied sure we could have ... I just would have been a bride and a widow all in one day!
Also them with an only son ... thats like a red flag with the Italians ... (for what I've experienced) Seems to me that the oldest or the only get to take care of them no matter what ... its just exected of them. Only thing that can get in the way of that plan is yours truly aka the wife.
I'd say keep your distance ... why make yourself sick ... its not worth it ... Drop it all in your husbands lap and let him deal with it ... Trust me once you wash your hands of it your husband won't be far behind ... Men like in child birth and caring for parents just can't take it!