Hi there again and thanks for replying once more to my ongoing saga . Husband is quiet until provoked but they will have met their match with him and they probably know it . They also know he and I are rock solid and I dont think they ' ll attempt to come between us . In their old fashioned minds a husband and wife are a unit and can never be parted . You ' re dead right about the possibility of the silent treatment but history shows they are pretty good at writing long detailed letters itemising their complaints dissatisfaction so I tend to think husband will get a reply in the next day or so . I havent felt as strongly as I feel right now . I honestly feel as tho thats it . I cant do it any more and intend to not open , not speak , not initiate any contact and this is a first for me for many many years . I was chatting to husband about our situation . His parents died youngish so were never a threat to my parents relationship with our 2 boys . They didnt need to count the times that we visited his parents as they did to my brother and his wife . That row led to my parents dropping my bro and his wife and kids for 2 years . My folks had it easy with me and our kids as they grew up and I unknowingly played their game and tried to be a dutiful daughter . My sons wedding introduced a real threat to my mother that is a bride K , whose name they almost cant say and worse still K ' s kind , generous , rich parents whom my parents seem to despise ! ? Hence all the criticism of the wedding . But as for me right now I ' m staying as detached as poss with the view that its over . I really do not like them an understatement for how they are and I ' ve had enough . I ' m going to ignore my fathers birthday next week and wont be prompting youngest son , 27 , to send a card . I usually get the card for him , stick the stamp on etc but I ' m not doing that either . Young blokes ca nt be bothered with sending cards so why have I done the prompting for so long in the past ? dutiful daughter thats why . I ' m not answering our phone in case its them but luckily we ' re both retired so husband can pick up . I feel the best I could feel right now as I ' ve got husband helping and he ' s witnessing the crazy . Its come quite late in the day 34 yrs as they have been v careful not to rile him in those years , but he ' s on the case now . I ' ll def keep you posted and thanks so much for being there .