Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To just feel unable to cope with this?

4 replies

Toomanymimosas · 02/05/2018 12:31

Short back story is I cut off contact with my family about a year ago. They were awful to me when I was growing up and as a younger adult though seemed to get better when I got married, then regressed to previous behaviour after a family argument. I won't give examples as they may be outing, but it includes running me down, cutting me off at a very difficult time in my life then 'forgiving' me, criticising me and my parenting skills, just relentless unpleasantness. At this point I realised that I did not want people who treated me like that in my life. So I no longer speak to my mum and dad or sisters and to be honest I should have done it sooner. They are all still close.

My mum emails me every so often on a pretext, her emails are always deeply hostile and aggressive. The latest email was about seeing the kids and also telling me that I have destroyed the family. She says this most times she gets in touch, there is absolutely no capacity to recognise that the way she has behaved over the years led to this.

What I find really hard to cope with is being the focus of such anger and bitterness from her and sisters. I know them well enough to know they must all still discuss me and will all have re-enforced each other's views that I am a terrible person who is responsible for destroying the family. I feel their hatred is like a weight on me and I don't know how to get past it so I can reach a point where I just don't think of them. It's horrible to know that there are people out there who bear you such ill will, I feel like I can't cope with this today.

If anyone has any advice it would really help.

OP posts:
FluffyPersian · 02/05/2018 12:36

Why are you still reading the emails or giving them headspace?

If you don't feel you want to block, why not filter them into a 'toxic family' folder - so you can see if there are any new ones, but also not read them until you feel strong enough (which is up to you.. could be days / weeks / months etc).

Ignore... Ignore... Ignore. If she (and others) were horrible to you growing up and as an adult, I wouldn't imagine they would be pleasant to you over email. Your role in their eyes (scapegoat) will not change, you have been 'labelled' by them, so regardless of how good or how bad you are - it won't matter, so I wouldn't try.

Why not accept that there is going to be anger... as your Mother is not a pleasant person? That doesn't mean what she writes in her email is correct - it''s just her belief... not others. Don't waste head space believing it or trying to change her opinion.

KinkyAfro · 02/05/2018 12:36

Block her?

EyeRollChampion · 02/05/2018 12:39

I hear you. Also nc with my mum (she's an abusive controlling narc). Can you change your email address? My mum does this, I just report her for spam.

It's really difficult what you're going through but really you just have to keep shutting down all contact and although the feelings never completely go away I promise your sense of well-being will continue to improve without their toxic influence. Flowers

Toomanymimosas · 02/05/2018 14:21

I’ve blocked her now. Hopefully that will help. Just hard knowing there are people out there who harbour such bad feeling towards you.

Flowers Eyeroll for your crap relationship with your mum.

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