Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

What do I do with secondhand information

5 replies

Hollyandpoinsettia · 05/01/2025 10:14

I remember in the summer of 2020, one of my aunts, (one of my mother's sisters) came to visit. She's one of my favourite aunts and I like her. She and her husband came into our home and my mam made tea and they all chatted and it looked like they all had a great afternoon chatting.

When my aunt and uncle left, my mother broke out in anger to me about her sister:
"Who the fuck does she think she is coming out here in the middle of a pandemic flaunting her size 8 jeans".

At the time case numbers were low and she used a guess that chances of us being sick were slim. She's not a size 8 and she wasn't flaunting anything. My mother is not fat to be envious of someone who is a size 8 by the way.

Thinking back onto that, and my strong suspicions of today where I am suspecting behaviour dementia-FTD - I now think that was part of what I see today and I suspect that was 'showtime' and when my aunt and uncle left my mother's mind turned to mush.

In the years since then their relationship has just deteriorated. Nothing bad happened between them. There's no effort out in from either side. From my mother's side I strongly think it's part of my dementia suspicions.

I remember nearly 18 months ago, my aunt became a grandmother and I got a message from her. I shared the information to my mother. My mother only became enraged with the news. She was very angry. She wasn't never able to come at it from a place of wishing them well and good. It was all one of anger and even calling her nephew who just became a dad a stuck up little dickhead. She told me a tale how he came and drive his mother here one day and he sat in the corner and never spoke. I can't remember any such incident. He also lives abroad and I really can't remember any such incident. Maybe it did happen, I don't know.

The anger was unreal.

It was completely uncalled for and nasty too.

There's very little effort from either one of them to keep in touch and to have any sort of a meaningful relationship with each other. They haven't seen each other in two and a half years. There's messages but not even to each other. The messages are done through me. My aunt doesn't know what my suspicions are by the way. The messages are few and far between. Once a year for each others birthday. There wasn't even any Christmas wishes.

I'm so sick of being the go between. There's no excuse in the world for each other not to pick up the phone and call each other.

My partner works in a bar that is my aunt's local and he sees more of my aunt than I do. They chat and apparently she does asks/requires about me and my mother. Lately my partner had more news about my aunt and her family and she is due to become a granny again. Maybe that was only said in chatting.

I don't know if my aunt has a mission or a goal here. Does she want to share this information but done secondhand through my partner. Is my partner expected to be a messagener. Does she want this to be passed on as information.

So now I know this am I expected to pass this onto my mother. Her response is likely going to be one of anger so why would I share this.

When my aunt does become a grandmother again I would be lucky if I get a one liner from her on WhatsApp and I am sick of being some sort of a messagener to pass this onto my mother or something. I don't know what her aim is.

OP posts:
NeverGuessWho · 05/01/2025 10:20

Can you not make your own arrangements to see your aunt without your mum being there, or even knowing?

You said this lady is one of your favourite aunts. Just because your mum and her have let their relationship slide, doesn't mean that you can't maintain a lovely relationship with your aunt.

I wouldn't tell my mum the news, but I would congratulate my aunt on my own behalf.

mindutopia · 05/01/2025 10:25

I think you are massively overthinking this and unhealthy enmeshed in this weird relationship. Sharing news about an impending birth is a totally normal conversational thing. I don’t think your auntie is doing it to be nasty or put you in the middle. She’s just having conversation and sharing her happy news with you and your partner, her niece and nephew in law. That’s normal stuff.

As for your mum, does she actually have dementia or is that an excuse for bad behaviour? I have a family member (my mum) who behaves similarly to some people and not others. It’s not dementia. It’s because she’s mentally unstable and a bit nasty. There’s nothing wrong with her other than long buried trauma and social isolation. That’s just how she’s become now that she’s alienated a lot of friends and family with her antics.

Silvertulips · 05/01/2025 10:25

You don’t become a messenger for your mother. Your aunt passed on some good news, she becoming a granny again, lots of woman in my office are becoming grannies and I don’t pass it on to anyone.

Just stop doing it. It’s not doing either of you any favours, your mother doesn’t want to know, get the message!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

DowntonShabbie · 05/01/2025 11:00

Honestly you sound worse than your mother. A mission, a goal, an aim? It's just small talk, get over yourself. Sounds like your aunt doesn't bother with you or your mother because neither of you are worth the hassle. .

If you've been suspecting dementia for four years maybe it's time to do something about it rather than focus on this petty bitching?

Hollyandpoinsettia · 31/03/2025 18:34

It's OP back again.

My aunt became a grandmother a few weeks ago. I think in February I think. I only ever heard it second hand from my partner. There was no call or text from my aunt to me or even to my mother. Completely second hand information.

There's now a different momenr of the family (a different uncle) who is very ill in hospital and not one person picked up the phone to tell my mother about her brother. Again it was second hand information from my partner. This uncle is on his death bed in icu and I hear it from the barman. I wasn't overly close to him to be honest but still. Nobody phoned my mother to tell her that one of her brothers is ill.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread