I'll try not to make this too long winded!
DM divorced DF just after I was born and a few years later married a man who turned out to be abusive and we all moved away from our home town and relatives. SF beat us when we're were naughty (see how I justify it ) and the EA was constant (i was once threatened with being locked up in police cells if I didn't tell the truth) but DM stayed until I left home at 21, imo because he was middle class and she enjoyed the lifestyle. DM would physically punish us too and I remember her grabbing my hair and yanking my head down once. She would also snap a lot and lose her temper easily (she once kicked our dog down the stairs and broke it's leg).
Despite this I always had a good relationship with her until I reached my 30's and started to question my childhood. I think my own issues became too obvious to ignore (relationships and 3 suicide attempts, first one at 16) and through counselling realised I had blocked out most of my childhood memories, which isn't a good sign.
I began to stand up to DM which annoyed her as DS (who left home at 16 to get away) is less affected and very easy going and therefore her favourite. There are too many examples of her moods to list but years ago when I moved in with XDP she offered to buy carpet but when I told her we were spending Xmas day with DP'S parents as we went to hers the previous year she refused to buy the carpets. I had PND after DS1 and she said it was all in my head. When I got married she told DB to keep the receipt for the wedding present. Oh and she told DF (when they split) that I wasn't his daughter (don't think its true but who knows) which led to him writing that in his will for his whole family to see.
More recently she has stopped speaking to me on quite a few occasions but most of the time I have no idea why (it could be something like me not phoning her) but she makes it obvious that she's annoyed. I go out of my way to do things for her and spend a lot of money at Xmas etc on her presents. Last year I got her a new tablet to replace an old one I gave her and when she opened it she said, I already have one. This year I got her a hot water dispenser as she has a bad wrist and complained about lifting the kettle, she doesn't use it as she wants to fill a pot not a cup. I also got her a smartphone and fire tv stick but she can't use them as they're "too complicated".
I finally lost it when she came round to tell me something and I was unloading the dishwasher while my dinner was in the microwave. I kept unloading as she spoke as I was knackered after work and wanted to sit down. She flounced out of the house and I ran after her with her gloves she had left. She snatched them out of my hand (roughly, as it made me jump) and told me I was rude for not stopping to speak to her and drove off.
I've now reached the stage where I'm fed up with her moods and tired of feeling guilty, even when I don't know what I've done. Because I suffer from anxiety I find things like this so hard to deal with.
I don't want to keep going through this anymore but people have said she's my mother so I should ignore it. AIBU?
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AIBU?
AIBU to cut DM out of my life?
9 replies
DrRichardKimble · 07/02/2017 15:33
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