in not wanting to spend Mothers' Day with my children OR my Mum?

[Tommy]

and just wanting to sneak off to a cafe with the papers?

Op get on the phone to siblings. Tell them that "cold" or no, today they do their share as your dc are taking you for "lunch". Tell dc that you are off to see grandma again . Jobs a good un and off for a coffee in peace.

it is very hard when one's mother gets to the cranky demanding stage. in my case mum is ill and I try to be sypathetic, to an extent, but if she drags me down we all go down, and I have a responsibility to the children too. I hate being the filling in the generation sandwich.

sounds very familiar Blackeyedsusan :(