My question is complex but I’m not sure where to ask this question. Better to ask a caregiver community. I’m having a relationship with a man who lives with his mother with Parkinson’s . We have been seeing each other for a year. We love each other but can’t move on in our relationship. He wants to marry me. However , idk how it’s possible. He wants to live with his mother until the end. He refuses to put her in assisted living and won’t hire a caregiver. I understand his concerns but how can he have a marriage if he can’t commit fully? I won’t move into his mother’s house. I’m 55 and this is so frustrating. Please help with suggestions.
You then go on to say your b/f suffers from depression, being the only sibling willing to take on this (unnecessary) responsibility alone. So he's also mentally unstable due to the choices he's made with regard to his mother's care.
You then say, in another comment, "At one point , he wanted me to sell my house and move in with him and his mother and be her caregiving ( I’ve been a nurse for 30 yrs ) and then he proposed that I buy a house down the street."
This man is clearly unstable & in an enmeshed relationship with his mother, looking for a wife to marry to take care of HER. It's quite obvious to third party readers. Pretend you are a third party reading this thread and giving advice to the poster. What would YOU tell HER?
Please run fast & far away from this 'relationship' because it's very unhealthy. You're looking for a man to love and spend your life with. He's looking for a nurse to take care of his mommy.
Wishing you strength & courage to make the best decision for YOU, not him.
He doesn't want a wife, he wants a caregiver for mom.
Have you ever seen the movie Moonstruck? It's a great example of a long engagement, waiting for Mama to die.
No, he will not change and be more attentive to you, because he's already told you who his priority will be. He's being very honest with you by telling you he will not put her in a nursing home nor will he hire a caregiver. That doesn't change the fact that a greater level of care will be required eventually, so guess who'll be providing that higher level of care?
You have your future right in front of you and easily seen. You get to decide whether to accept what you see, or to spend the rest of your life battling for position in someone else's house.
You can be assured of one thing, and that is that the condition of the MIL would get worse and worse.
I will add that your boyfriend's choice to wish to marry a woman who is not on board with sharing her home with an aging elder is very unwise on his part; doesn't bode well for the future, either.
You are old enough now to know that love doesn't conquer all. My advice. Keep your relationship right where it is. You will find out soon enough that even without moving in, you will have less and less time with your boyfriend. His insistence on caregiving may end in an earlier death for him; his mother then would move into care in any case.
I think you already know the answer, but facing the loss is difficult. Stay as you are, or consider moving on. I am so sorry. This isn't anyone's fault. It is just one more difficult decision.
His attitude has been (until very recently) that as his mother, she needs him to do 'all the man stuff' for her. He doesn't do that for me!
We married when I was 20. Just a baby and it took me many, many years to realize I might very likely never come first with him.
She is 90 and not doing well and his depression over feeling like a failure as a son is pretty bad--he's seeking counseling to deal with his overhwelming feelings of guilt. Not about pretty much ignoring ME, but feeling like a terrible son, which he has NOT been.
At least you have age and wisdom behind you. I was warned, many times by many people that the mother-son dynamic wouldn't change and would be a challenge. At 20, I knew it all.
Last night DH said to me "I bet you wouldn't have married me if you had known how bad my mom is" to which I replied "No, I wouldn't have. But thank you for finally acknolwedging that."
Eyes wide open before marrige, eyes half shut following. Only you can make this decision.
GF/SO loves or is at least very fond of the man and torn between becoming a Cinderella or moving on.
These are some other threads similar to yours:
https://www.agingcare.com/search?term=caregiving+man+puts+parents+before+girlfriend
My mom has Parkinson’s disease and lived with us for 15 years.
You have no idea how hard it is unless you have been through it.
Take it from me. You don’t want to go there!
I had extenuating circumstances that made my situation very challenging to place my mom.
After the dust settled I should have made an effort to move forward in a positive direction for all of us.
Mom lived with us for far too long. We can’t ever get that time back. It’s lost forever.
Please don’t place yourself in a situation where things become complicated and you are blindsided with complex emotions.
Not to mention creating an unhealthy codependency that develops in these circumstances.
I ended up in therapy.
You know the expression, “Can’t see the forest for the trees.” That’s where I was.
One of my good friends caved and moved into her MIL’s home. Her husband is devoted to his mom.
Her mother in law is leaving her home to them after her death. My friend could care less about an inheritance. She would rather have peace in their lives.
The mother in law never lets my friend forget that she is in charge and head of the house!
My friend wanted to hang a small picture on the living room wall and was told by her mother in law, “I am not dead yet! Don’t hang that picture. I don’t like it!”
My friend is in utter misery with this woman. Her MIL is 90! She may live until 100!
Her husband cooks for his mom. He is retired, home full time so he does everything else that she needs as well.
My friend will not assume responsibility for her MIL, yet doesn’t want to divorce her husband.
Her husband doesn’t ask her to help but he spends more time with his mom than his wife!
We can quickly find ourselves in situations that are over our head.
I regret spending so much time on my mother. I should have arranged for her care and not had the burden of being a full time caregiver.
My husband was very understanding but it definitely puts a strain on a marriage. Even good marriages take a hit!
Our marriage survived because he is a gem and I did my best not to completely neglect him but it was absolutely exhausting!
Bottom line, all of you deserve better!
This needs to be addressed now. Don’t marry, then expect it to magically resolve itself.
Your boyfriend’s mom deserves good care from a qualified staff.
You and your sweetheart deserve privacy to be able to express your love for one another.
If you don’t work it out, look at your separation as dodging a bullet!
Take care.
See All Answers