Barrybran - A Year On

[Barrybran]

I'll get the positive bit out of the way first. I went on holiday, my kids were angels and we had a great time. I have support on both sides of my family and they're all hoping things pan out on this side of he country.

Now the bad stuff. Things got downright crazy today. My sister in law started got engaged to, and moved in with, a man who is allegedly a registered sex offender. Her life, her choice but she has three daughters, two of whom are 11 and 12, and when child services found out, given her history with them, they arranged a mass family conference to sort the situation out (which I was not a part of).

Fast forward 7.5 hours and I have me, my kids, my wife, my sister-in-law and my three nieces staying with me. My wife asked if I would look after my nieces which I said yes to. What I wasn't told at the time was that my wife and SIL were staying too. It took a hell of a lot to STFU, calm myself down, think through things and I still don't have any ideas how I'm going to tackle the situation right now.

I would do absolutely anything for my nieces so they are no problem other than the fact that I barely have enough money to feed three kids let alone six. I'm uncomfortable with my SIL staying but part of the condition was to try and keep her family together so I can be the bigger person for the sake of her girls. I definitely don't have enough money to cover four extra people AND my housework just doubled. My wife staying, that's a completely different kettle of fish. I am not comfortable with her staying here given her attitude, she has made subtle remarks all evening about things in the house and I am damn proud of how I've managed the house and kids since she's been gone. I know she doesn't see it but I received validation from both side of our family while on holiday so I know I'm doing a lot right.

To further complicate things, my wife was already considering leaving her job (65k/year) to move back here, which I get as she loves her family and friends. The kicker for me is that one of my government payments will halve, one will come into jeopardy altogether and I cannot afford to lose a payment. It looks like I'll have to make a phone call tomorrow to find out because I could be in serious trouble even though of put every foot right these past six months.

So yeah, that's where I'm at. If anyone has any thoughts or advice on how to handle my wife in particular, I would love to know, because I'm trying to keep the path smooth but some bastard keeps throwing large rocks in my wet cement.

Happy Monday DBer's