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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to wonder why my mother does this?

74 replies

Georgepigisacleverdude · 22/02/2011 23:12

I honestly do not know whether my mum IBU or I am. Maybe some families find this familiar?

Growing up, my mum seemed to think that I spent all of my spare time screwing half the men in town. Even if I told Mum I was going to Friend A's, and gave her the phone number, she would never ring, but would accuse me of screwing half the men in town. It makes me feel sick to even think about it, the way I feel I was seen by my mum as having nothing more to offer in any liaison/relationship than sex. Sad

I know my mum felt she had little to offer but sex, from the things she's said over the years, things I don't want to hear really.

Anyway, now I have grown up, and have 2DC. My eldest DS has always been my mums favourite grandchild and she has spoilt him over the years to the point where she undermined me to gain favour with him. Now he is an adult, I have noticed more and more that my mother sometimes asks him things which I feel are inappropriate and she fawns over him. I cant describe it in any other way. If DS is home when she comes round, she will ignore everything I say and focus on him. Makes me feel like the least interesting person on the planet. She seems obsessed with him if I'm truthful. She then fires 1001 questions at him, because she has to know what he's doing at all times, and who he's going out with, and what he's going to wear out blah blah blah.
She cried for weeks when DS refused to move in with her when he went to uni, because she is 4 miles closer to the uni than I am. She kept saying how he had hurt her emotionally so deeply that she couldn't ever forgive him, and talked of how she'd never ask another man to move in with her again because men only ever hurt you. Hmm
She spoke of him as if he were a partner. She rang all his friends, and asked them why he didn't want to be with her.
Anyhow, apart from all of that, which thankfully has died down for the most part now, she asks him what I feel are inappropriate questions, like 'What was your 1st sexual experience like?' DS goes red and mumbles 'dunno' and mum then probes further 'Are you still a virgin, I cant believe you're still a virgin, you must have gone so far with a girl by now, if i were younger I'd butter your toast in the morning' Hmm
When I intervene and usually say something like 'Jeez mum, even I dont ask him that, leave off, he doesn't want to talk about it' Mum just replys that she wants to know. WHY THOUGH

My mum also makes innuendos with me. She'll say 'why didnt you answer the phone earlier, did you have the rugby team round?' or 'In the summer, is it going to be hot and steamy in your house' to which I reply, depends what the temperature is outside.
Mum then says 'do you really not get it?' I say no i dont. I can tell by her voice that she truly thinks I have missed her point, then she spells it out to me in a patronising way.
If she knows a woman is in a relationship with a man and she cant work the realtionship out, if the man is younger, or the man is better paid, she always has to lower the tone to 'i know how she keeps him, she lays on her back, spreads her legs, screws him all day and night'

Make me feels so sick when she says this. Has anyone else got a parent like this? And why are they like this? What is the best way to handle this without falling out with my mum hopefully?
She seems to place so much of a womans worth on what she can do for a man, and yes, I have appallingly low self esteem and i struggle to understand why anyone, male or female would be interested in me as a person.

OP posts:
Meow75 · 23/02/2011 00:05

mmsmum said "Why ask us why when you already knew the answer?"

Err, because this is the only mother the OP has ever known, and essentially shows "gas lighting" kind of behaviour - "It was a joke, you can't even take a joke?!?! Jeez" kinda comments to make the OP think she's the unreasonable one.

The OP is looking for a bit of reassurance that the behaviour that she has put up with from her mother all her life is TOTALLY out of the ordinary and inappropriate. And now she's finally got to the point where enough is enough.

Good for you, OP. Keep up the good work, and call your mother the next and every time she says something inappropriate. I liked the "script" someone posted about her "jokes". Memorise it, and use it. She'll still try and defend herself, but you know you are right.

HecateQueenOfWitches · 23/02/2011 00:05

Grin Rhinestone,

again.

Yes Georgepig. flip the gender and you clearly have, what? Don't fall into the trap of thinking that being a woman means this can't be what she is. discuss this with your son. he may be relieved to have it out in the open. He may have been taking his cue on how to deal with it from you.

BabyDubsEverywhere · 23/02/2011 00:08

OP I feel so bad for your 'lost youth' as such. But why would you allow this person to feature in your life as an adult, your kids have grown up around this disturbed perverted person, I'm pretty gobsmacked at that tbh. You recognise the damage having her in your life has done to you, why would you have allowed this to continue to your children?

What are you going to do about it? Are you seriously going to keep her in your life? Fuck, i dont knoiw how you cope with a mother like that, i havent read every post but have you had counciling to deal with any of this? Id need a boat load [shocked]

Georgepigisacleverdude · 23/02/2011 00:09

I'm heading off to bed now, but wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you for all of the posts so far. I didnt actually realise it was as unusual as it seems to be.
I shall come back tomorrow and will be giving this alot of thought in the meantime.

OP posts:
BabyDubsEverywhere · 23/02/2011 00:12

Erm,sorry, but from what you have written I would also be concerned that she may have taken things further with your son. Do you think he would have come to you? Sad

mmsmum · 23/02/2011 00:15

I have absolutely no idea what gas lighting behaviour is meant to mean. But the op did know the answer, whether she realised it or not, she knew.

And I think I made perfectly clear that I agree with you, and everyone else, that her Mum is out of the ordinary and inappropriate. Why are you arguing with me?

Good night Georgepig

Stac2011 · 23/02/2011 00:19

apart from the way she acts with your son, does she make these kind of comments to his friends?

My own mother was quite like yours abused when young, abusive relationships, keeping the man who beat her kids (quite scarey how similar). When drunk she thought nothing of asking inappropriate questions, i either ignored her or told her where to go. Also when i was young she used to ask if any man had touched me. For this i think it was because she was scared it would happen to me. Dont want to hijack your thread just thought sharing may make you feel less alone. My best advice is be strong with her, tell her you dont appreciate the sexual talk to you and ds. It isnt a joke. I would have cut mum out if she spoke to my kids like that ever!

saffy85 · 23/02/2011 06:52

Shock Dear god she must be sick in the head. Poor you and your DS. What she is saying to/about you is bad enough but how she treats your son is pratically sexual harrassment and no one should have to put up with that.

cheekydude · 23/02/2011 07:45

Have namechanged for this as could not read and not post.

Georgepig, my mother is the same, though doesn't speak in such an explicit manner with me. Firstly I would encourage you to have counselling to come to terms with your mother's behaviour - her own history of abuse is no excuse for her abuse of you and your ds. You know yourself that being exposed to sexually abusive behaviour does not mean you will do the same to others when you grow up. And find a way of asking ds if she has done anything physically to him.

My mother, like your's always assumed I was always having sex with boys and even recently told me I lost my virginity when too young, not sure how she would know Hmm but I was 18 and was with my first long term boyfriend.She also talked about sex with me in w way that wasn't appropriate, nor appropriate for my age. She also did, and still does, have a fixation with her nephew and his friends and would fawn over him and them and make it obvious she found them sexually attractive. She is still obsessed by him. She would also prance about the house in various states of undress in front of me when I was young in a way that was just down right inappropriate (and hard to describe written down) and no other adults were around, i.e. my dad. I also have hazy memories of her doing extremely dubious acts / behaviour in front of me, which I know she would deny if I confronted her and say I had a perverted memory.

I have gradually cut contact with her and allow little in the way of contact with my dc, which is within my house and sight only.

Female paedophiles are out there, and I understand why you have questioned yourself about this as its just so hard to believe a woman, and your mother could behave in such a sickening way to not only you but her grandchild. But this is how they get awau with it!

cheekydude · 23/02/2011 08:17

By the way, I would cut contact with your mother. But if you feel you cannot do this I would call her on her behaviour towards your son and ask her to leave your house.

Something like "you just said ...you will not make sexual remarks towards my son/ me/ in this house. Please leave" etc
Your son needs to see you are protecting him, even though you may see him as almost grown up now. People like her have no regard for boundaries and need to be shown others won't tolerate that behsviour.

I would also be tempted to consider going to the police as her behavior towards your son is clearly sexually abusive / sexual harrassment.

Conflugenglugen · 23/02/2011 09:10

gp, this is not to do with you. Having read what you wrote about your mother, my first reaction is that her behaviour falls out of the range of normal to the extent that it could be pathological. It has many of the pointers of Borderline Personality Disorder.

I don't think there is much you can do either to manage her or to change her, but you can get help for yourself. I'd suggest counselling or therapy. The BACP and UKCP websites are great places to start; and many of the therapists offer rates on a sliding scale.

All the best.

KristinaM · 23/02/2011 10:06

Im agree with the others who say you should get some help for yourself. Bubt your firsth priority is to protect your son. I know is he is an adult now, but you have brought him up tp believe that this sexual harassment /abuse is ok and he has to tolerate it, however it makes him feel. You need to sort this out now

ddubsgirl · 23/02/2011 10:23

i agree with others,you need to cut down contact and you need to make sure she knows why and the way she behaves isnt normal,it may be normal to her as shes been groomed this way,which isnt her fault,she needs help but she needs to know that and offer to help her if she is willing to get help,if not cut contact xxxx

georgeorwell · 23/02/2011 10:31

not too diffucult to figure out why you have low self esteem with a mother like that. you must've made the connection by now surely.

she sounds damaged and you should stop her further damaging you and your son. keep her at arm's length. i'd have distanced myself from her well before now.

Rhinestone · 23/02/2011 11:09

GP - how are you feeling this morning? Please let us know you're ok, you don't have to post anything else if you don't feel ready.

dexifehatz · 23/02/2011 15:03

You are complicit in this abuse of your son by allowing your mother within 100 miles of him.I cannot believe that you think that this behaviour could be normal.WTF?

Rhinestone · 23/02/2011 15:08

Dexi Your posts are not helpful - first you cry troll and then you slate the OP. If you have grown up with this behavior as 'normal' then it's very difficult to work out that it isn't normal.

If you can't contribute constructively then just leave this thread.

PommePoire · 23/02/2011 15:56

Georgepig - I second the poster who said that you could really benefit from discussing your mother's past and ongoing behaviour with a counsellor. To give you the courage to go to your G.P. and explain to her/him what you have told us in your OP, use the advice and the opinions of the huge majority of posters on this thread, who are agreeing with what you have started to suspect: your mother's past and on-going behaviour and actions are not normal. Your G.P. should and will take you seriously they will then help organise a counsellor for you. Your self esteem will improve a great deal and you will have the confidence to step away from your mother and enjoy your life.

Dexifehatz - Sadly, it is perfectly possible to live your life into your 20s, 30s, or older, not really realising that one, or both of your parents' act in a way that is abhorrent and awful to most people. Take Hecate's advice and post no more; you are not helping.

PommePoire · 23/02/2011 15:58

Oops - Hecate and Rhinestone have both given such great advice I've muddled them up, sorry Confused

Georgepigisacleverdude · 23/02/2011 22:55

I truly appreciate all of the input here. I have had this on my mind for most of the day.
There are other things which make me uncomfortable but I feel like I can't trust my own judgement. I have, until the last few years, always looked to my mum for validation/approval of my opinions/thoughts/actions. I have spent a great deal of my childhood seeking my mums approval, only to discover in the last few years that I don't really agree with much of what my mum believes. As you can gather, this has caused some friction between us because I don't run everything past her before I do it anymore. I feel it is a step in the right direction. I could write a sodding book on my life with my mum. Sad
I am a self confessed people pleaser I'm afraid, but I am trying to change and I dont think this is going down too well with my mum, but life is short and I dont remember when my mum was last pleased with me or my efforts to please her, so I dont think I can spend my life trying to please someone who has such a fixed opinion of me no matter what I do or dont do.

Some of the other things that make me uncomfortable, but which some of you may relate to are that my sister has a young DD, who has a habit of exploring herself at every opportunity. I usually ignore this, mainly because I dont think it is my place to say anything, although I used to tell my DC that it was fine to touch yourself, but it was something to be done in private, like showering or going to the toilet. I dont see it's my place to say anything to my sister or my niece.
On the other hand, my mum will openly tell my niece that she is a dirty girl and it is dirty to play with herself. Shock Mum tells me it makes her feel sick and she doesnt want to watch a child play with themselves. Mum also feels she must share her opinion on children still in nappies. In her opinion, if a child is still in nappies beyond 18 months, they are lazy and dirty dirty dirty. I cringe when my mum calls children dirty because they are still in nappies or because they are exploring their own bodies, but perhaps that is the opinion of her generation. Mum certainly seems to think so. It just seems that if she is in the right frame of mind, Mum can see something sexual in everything.
I honestly thought it was just me, because as well as everything I have said about my mum, my eldest niece also appears to have a habit of seeing sexual things where I don't. My eldest niece is pregnant and has a friend who has just had a baby boy. Her friend posted a picture of her newborn son on facebook, and when my niece saw it, she commented in caps underneath PENIS!!!
It is true that you can see the babies genitals in the picture, but I thought that was inappropriate. It is a newborn child FFS, so maybe it is me that is the prude. My eldest niece also sees something sexual in everything, even moreso than my Mum if truth be told. Niece has facebook too, and was was told by her midwife that eating nuts was fine, so she wrote on her facebook 'I just found out I can eat nuts, nooo not them kind you dirty buggers I know what you were thinking' This is typical. Everything and I mean everything has to have a sexual comment made about it, and I dont understand it at all. Maybe I am just a prude. Sad

OP posts:
Rhinestone · 23/02/2011 23:28

No, you're not a prude, you're normal. You understand what normal and appropriate sexual boundaries are. As do most people.

Keep posting if you want validation but it really isn't you - it's her.

I hate to say this but I'm a bit concerned about the kind of influence your mother may have had on your niece.

poochela · 23/02/2011 23:31

Dont think you're a prude, you probably notice it because subconsciously you're on red alert for more danger and you notice any potentially hurtful behaviour/language sooner because of your past. x

PommePoire · 24/02/2011 10:24

Georgepig, you said:

"I dont remember when my mum was last pleased with me or my efforts to please her, so I dont think I can spend my life trying to please someone who has such a fixed opinion of me no matter what I do or dont do."

This is a very important realisation you have started on here - the next step would be to understand that YOUR views and opinions are worth holding and that your mother's are not. Your mother's views on appropriate sexual behaviour are wrong. Sadly, she also seems to have influenced other vulnerable members of your family with her thinking. YOU are the voice of sense and reason in this situation and reminding yourself of this: "I am right, she is wrong" will mean that you no longer want to try and please or impress someone whose approval is worth nothing.

Stac2011 · 24/02/2011 11:13

george you have no need to please her, lets face it when did she last do anything pleasing for you? She wont even stop behaving the way she does with your son.

You know your not being a prude, there are sexual and social boundaries that are lacking with your mum and niece.

As I said my mum was like your mum and i remember cringing at things she said. She just thought she was being open, far too much.

Have you other kids? How is she with them?

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