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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think my mother engineered this.

36 replies

LEMisafucker · 11/12/2013 23:15

There is lots of background. Dont want to drip feed but I have lots of threads about this. Those who have read this will probably flame me.

my mum has a serious back problem. Among other things. Wont accept medical help. Refuses appts etc. And on it goes....

yesterday nice as pie despite refusing doc appt I made her. Then my dd rang her said she was visiting today. I had said id either walk to pet shop eith her or go fetch her dog food for her. Today I rang to see what dhe wanted to do she gave me loads of shit on phone said she easnt well put phone down. When I turned up to walk dog she said dont bother .

ffw to this eve. Dd went there. I called dd on phone no answer so walked round. Mother wouldn't talk to me. Dd barely acknowledged me. I just got up and left. Asked dd to stop in and see dd2 (big age gap). I felt devastated. Not long after dd turns up. Floods of tears. Apologies. Mother moaning about me. Her sister. The doctor. Everything. She came bsck a little later and we had a lovely evening ( I beat her at chess)

I cant help but think my mother was dhitty to me today becsuse she knew dd was visiting. I really felt she was trying to turn her against me. So hurt. .

OP posts:
LEMisafucker · 12/12/2013 12:10

what is the freesom course?

OP posts:
Donkeylovesmarzipanandmincepie · 12/12/2013 12:40

OP whatever her physical problem your M sounds like she revels in tweaking your guilt button. She probably started finding fault with you from the moment you encountered other authority figures starting school. She only has power over you as long as you let her.

I am glad your DP can see her for what she is. DD1 is almost out of her clutches but still vulnerable, for her sake and DD2 please protect yourself.

haveyourselfashandy · 12/12/2013 13:28

Hi LEM,I've read a few of your threads and I just wanted to show my support.I think one day something will happen and you will have had enough...I hope so anyway because by the sounds of it this casts a shadow over your whole life,your DP's life and your DC's lives.Has your mum always been difficult? What was she like with your dad?

Brucietheshark · 12/12/2013 13:42

It is an addiction imo.

I like that quote about insanity = acting the same but expecting a different outcome.

But basic behaviourism tells us that the most effective reinforcement is intermittent, unexpected, unpredictable but highly rewarding when it happens.

Hence gamblers, hence abused partners/daughters/sons etc.

What mystifies me is how these awful people know how to keep their victims on the hook so effectively when they're often not very clever. Just instinct and years of trial and improvement I guess.

LEMisafucker · 12/12/2013 14:25

haveyourselfashany - she was awful with my dad, just awful - he was the kindest, gentlest man you could ever wish to meet - everyone thought this. He put up with years of shit from my mother, she drove hm mad in the end :( well, to be fair, alzheimers did that but if i could turn back time i would turn it back to when he met her and tell him to run.

She is now doing her best to be nice, i did take the dog out, its not his fault but she wanted to come with me and i told her i didn't have time. I know this will go on and on but two weeks before christmas is not the time for me to put my foot down, because the fall out will affect everyone - I am just going to have to be strong but Im backing off, starting now. You are all right - I am a nervous wreck, have no self esteem whatsoever and this is because of her, because she spent her whole life telling me i wasn't good enough, and i believed her. I may well look over on the stately homes thread, i never really considered that i was a "victim" of abuse but i am starting to see it now, it makes me sad and angry.

OP posts:
LEMisafucker · 12/12/2013 14:33

What confuses the hell out of me is that she CAN be lovely, ok i don't think she has EVER told me she loves me or she is proud of me, but i know that she is (she would never admit it to me, but i know she boasts to other members of the family about my achievements - such as they are). She would give me her last penny and she would jump from her hospital bed to defend me (even if i didn't want her to!) if she felt someone ELSE had upset me. She has just been on the phone now telling me to go and buy something for DD2 which is lots of money, and there will be a big envelope with money in it for me for xmas, and for DP - but i'd rather not have the money. In a way its just another way she controls me. I do have good memories - she was a good mum - but its funny, if ever there was a problem at school, she always blamed the other kids. I was bullied horribly at school and she defended me like a rotweiller - although it was counter productive, she was always at the school with the headmaster, but it was never effective - it made things worse. I was spoilt as a child.

Thankyou so much for listening, I know that i seem to be going round in circles but it helps me so much and i appreciate those of you who support me, even though it must sound like groundhog day.

To be honest, the thing with DD last night, nearly was the thing that pushed me over the edge. That will never happen again

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 12/12/2013 14:43

She is being lovely because that is how she hoodwinks you into feeling guilty. She knows just how much nastiness to play before she has to reel you back in again and she has been doing it for all your life. She may have spoilt you as a child but I reckon that was about control too.

Yes, putting your foot down now will cause repercussions for everyone but her behaviour already impacts on your entire family.

DoJo · 12/12/2013 15:42

LEM - you won't ruin Christmas for your daughters by standing up to her, you will show them that nobody should be treated this badly by anyone, let alone someone who is supposed to love them. That is a great Christmas present, and one which will last a lifetime.
Also, just to point out - bragging about your achievements or defending you to other people but treating you like shit isn't being proud of you, it's basking in your reflected glory and then acting as though you don't deserve the praise she is absorbing on your behalf. Similarly, giving you money is no substitute for affection - I'm sure you know which you would rather have, and so does she. There's nothing 'lovely' about that, it's cruel and spiteful and shouldn't be considered a mitigating factor in how you deal with her now.

Lavenderhoney · 12/12/2013 15:57

My gran was like this. Drove everyone away. The rows were frightful around August when everyone started arguing who would have her at Christmas. Everyone moved as far away as possible as soon as they could. Except one daughter who was the general dogsbody and whipping boy. She never married. Didn't dare.

I don't think you should be making appointments for her and things like that. There was a thread a while ago about a dm like yours and its uncanny how alike the scenarios are. The op there moved house in the end and got back some control. And luckily her and her db talked to each other and knew what the dm said were lies. The dm also was trying very hard with the dc to gain ascendancy.

Listen to your dp, and don't let your dds get sucked in.

Hissy · 12/12/2013 16:40

LEM, here is something Atilla posted on the Stately Homes thread - you need to be there btw!

It will explain what she is doing and why wrt the money and the big expensive gift:

Some toxic people will let you leave a relationship without caring one bit. They never really cared about you, and if you don’t want to be used and abused anymore, they’re simply on to the next person before you can say, “Bye!”

Others, however…

Others hoover.

The toxic hooverer doesn’t truly care about you either — they just want to keep you around to feed on emotionally, and when you decide to go no contact, they don’t plan on letting you get away that easily.

Many hooverers have traits of borderline, narcissistic, antisocial or histrionic personality disorders. People with Dependent Personality Disorder may also hoover.

Hoovering is manipulation to gain control over your choice to distance yourself, and typically takes the following forms:

•Ignoring your requests to break off the relationship and attempting to continue on as if nothing has changed.
.
•Asking you when you’re going to “get over it” and return to your past actions.
.
•Sending you a fake apology to give you hope that things have changed.
.
•Trying to trick you into contact by saying someone needs you, is sick, or in trouble.
.
•Triangulating with others, communicating things to you through them.
.
•Saying they’re worried about you, concerned about whether you’re okay, need to know where you are, etc.
.
•Sending unwanted cards, messages and gifts, sometimes gifts for your children, as they know you are likely to feel guilty about keeping a gift from your kids. Don’t allow this – exposing your children to manipulation is far worse!
.
•Returning old items you left behind.
.
•Baiting you with drama games.
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•Contacting you about “important” things they “forgot” and suddenly have to tell you.

Don’t Fall for Hoovering Tactics

Attempts to pull you back into a toxic relationship are not valid expressions of caring and concern — they are attempts to regain control over your behavior. Beware — hoovering attempts are often disguised as caring, loneliness, hurt, desperation, fear, illness, and other things designed to play on your sympathies and pull you back. Abusers know that pulling on heartstrings works very well. (In the case of BPD, it may be simply out-of-control emotions and fear of abandonment more than an attempt to control you per se; however you will likely still feel that you are not being allowed to end a relationship you no longer want).

If your wish to end a relationship is not being honored, whatever a toxic person thinks will work best on you will be what they try, so when one angle doesn’t work, they will try another, and another, ramping up their efforts until it seems they might never stop. Typically, hoovering DOES stop if the person being hoovered does not fall for the hooverer’s tricks.

The sooner the person being hoovered completely ignores everything and does not respond to anything at all in any way, the sooner the toxic person finally understands that they do not have the control. Some toxic people may still make the occasional attempt on holidays, anniversaries of events, etc. Don’t bite the bait. Simply ignore any attempts.

If you have already made it clear that you do not want a relationship (or if it’s obvious) then DON’T ever contact the person doing the hoovering to tell them to stop again, or how angry you are. That is a reward. They will be thrilled to receive your attention and pleased to know that their efforts have paid off by snagging you, so they’ll be contacting you even more!

More Here: lightshouse.org/lights-blog/when-toxic-people-start-hoovering#ixzz2nBgsPQxT

haveyourselfashandy · 12/12/2013 17:26

Oh LEM I feel for you.Like you say,get Christmas out of the way then get a plan of action going to detach detach detach.My DF sounds very similar to your mum except he's never defended me to anyone and is certainly not proud of me ha,I'm dreading him getting older because I know I will struggle with the guilt myself and run myself ragged.So I have no advice except stay strong!

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