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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Difficult relationship with my mother

15 replies

lauraannk · 28/12/2018 12:55

Hi everyone, this is my first post on here.

For the past 3 years I've had a very strained relationship with my mother. It was never amazing but the difficulties started around 3 months before my wedding.

Myself and DH had made our guest list and limited it to around 120 guests, since we were paying for everything ourselves. To keep within our budget we decided to invite only married or long term partners, no new boyfriends or girlfriends as plus ones. I also didn't want to be bullied.

My mother decided that she wanted me to invite my cousins new boyfriend (he had just told us he had a boyfriend) and I said no because then I would have to bend the rules for everyone and end up with 20+ more guests. This was completely unacceptable to my mother and her sister and what followed was months of them trying to bully me into inviting this person. I explained to my aunt and cousin my reasons for not adding extra guests and they told me I was lying and must have a problem with him being gay. My mother had said prior to all of this that she was shocked my cousin was gay and couldn't see him the same way anymore.

In the end all of my extended family didn't attend my wedding, no family friends attended and my mother didn't attend. I had told her she was no longer invited because she told people myself and DH were extremely homophobic and that's why we had decided not to invite my cousins new boyfriend (NOT at all the case - my mother didn't like that DH had more family members who would be attending).

My aunt text me on my wedding day and said I was a horrible person and have no family and good luck to my husband because he'll need it. Not that I actually blame her really - my mother told her I hated her gay son and who would presume someone's mother is lying just to get her way.

What followed was approx 1 year of NC and I found out my mother had cancer so I reached out to try mend things somewhat.
Within around 15 mins she was telling me that everyone has decided I need psychiatric help because I've hurt so many people and nobody needs me around.
Slowly over the next couple years we had contact here and there, I didn't want to just leave things with her being ill and things were a little better but nothing was ever addressed.

I'm currently 23 weeks pregnant with my first child (first grandchild for her) and was always slightly unsure if it was best to have my mother involved or not, given how she's treated me in the past and has never apologized. But I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

That was until yesterday. She informed me that my aunt was sick over Christmas and I said that I didn't care because she is of no interest to me (none of my family have spoken to me in the last 3 years, bar my siblings and dad) after the message she sent to me on my wedding day over something that herself and my mother had just made up essentially.

My mother told me that she is my aunt and I need to apologize to her so she can be in my baby's life.
I told her that was never going to happen and that my mother is lucky I even speak to her given that she has never apologized or taken responsibility over the fact that she has left me with no family and treated me terribly.

She then told me that it was myself and my husband that caused all of this and that it was because of us that she got cancer after the wedding. I told her that was ridiculous and made no sense and that she had ruined everything by telling people lies about me.

I said we need to sort this out because she had admitted to me a while back that her sister bullied her into forcing me to invite cousins boyfriend to the wedding. She denies that happened now and said she won't discuss anything with me because I'm wrong and ruining Christmas.

I then went home and told my husband what she had said and he has decided my mother is not to be involved in the baby's life until she treats me with respect and apologizes for what she has done.
He returned some baby gifts to her house last night that she had given us and she freaked out and told him he just wants the baby for him and his family and asked me to not let this happen.
She has now reverted back to telling people that I need help and I need to leave DH because he is brainwashing me. She also has a huge problem with DH's family for no reason at all and she seems to blame them for what happened with the wedding but I don't really get why because they didn't do anything or say anything bad about her or her family.

I'm curious to see what people think from an outside perspective since I think I'm right and she so adamantly thinks she is right.

Sorry for the long post!

OP posts:
arethereanyleftatall · 28/12/2018 13:00

Well based on your post, which is all from your perspective, nobody is going to say your mother is right.
What would her side of the story be?

Santaisonthesherry · 28/12/2018 13:03

If I was you I would concentrate on my new dh, my pregnancy and leave my drama llama family to their own devices.
I agree with your dh that at this present time your dm has no place in your lives. Or that of your baby. Having her around in the early days will be far too stressful for you imo.
Remember she has brought this all on herself.
Do not feel any guilt or accept any blame.

pinkdelight · 28/12/2018 13:11

So when you explained to cousin/aunts/extended family that:

"Myself and DH had made our guest list and limited it to around 120 guests, since we were paying for everything ourselves. To keep within our budget we decided to invite only married or long term partners, no new boyfriends or girlfriends as plus ones... I said no because then I would have to bend the rules for everyone and end up with 20+ more guests." And said/showed emphatically that you're not homophobic - what did they say? Why on earth did they believe your mother's lies? If they're all so credulous and can't see her conniving (which is fucked up to the point of some kind of personality disorder so unless that whole family is dysfunctional then surely they know what she's like) then you've done the right thing cutting them all off and as pp says, no one is going to argue for your mother's POV as quite clearly it's untenable to have this women in your DC's life.

Mummylife2018 · 28/12/2018 13:42

Hang on, haven't read full post as the part about only inviting people in long term relationships just threw me! Wtaf?!

JustHavinABreak · 28/12/2018 13:53

No Mummylife2018. The OP didn't just invite people in LTR. They invited people whether they were in relationships or not. What they decided was that they wouldn't invite cousins' casual shag buddies or new
boyfriends/girlfriends because doing so would cost a small fortune.

sheepsheep · 28/12/2018 13:55

OP you should get this post moved to relationships. You will hopefully get much more sympathetic replies over there.

Your mum is toxic and the other members of the family are also toxic and enabling her. You are best of out of this. Please do not let illness be a justification for them abusing you.

Keep them away from your child at all costs. They will never "see sense."

JustHavinABreak · 28/12/2018 13:58

OP although this is probably heartbreaking to hear I think your birth family and your DM in particular, have done you a massive favour. Not only have they shown you their true colours but just in case you'd ever doubt yourself, they did it all over again so you could be sure. Thankfully all this happened now because later, a child could be used as their pawn. You are at a lovely stage of your pregnancy now. It's all becoming very real and soon your LO will be here so you can fully concentrate on your own family.

MrsFassy · 28/12/2018 14:16

To keep within our budget we decided to invite only married or long term partners, no new boyfriends or girlfriends as plus ones

@Mummylife2018 how can you possibly get from this that OP was only inviting people in long term relationships?  It clearly says as plus ones. So obviously meaning the partners/spouses of their friends and extended family members. Really not difficult to understand.

MrsFassy · 28/12/2018 14:20

@lauraannk I think your husband is right in saying your mother shouldn't be around you or the baby until she can apologise, but sadly I don't think that will happen. You haven't done anything wrong and I think the most important thing for you now is to protect yourself and your baby from your, quite obviously dysfunctional family. Don't allow them to spoil your pregnancy.

Thewifipasswordis · 28/12/2018 14:31

Your mother is toxic. Your family sound mental unhinged. I would not want that in my child's life.

Claudia1980 · 28/12/2018 14:43

To be honest it sounds like your mother is the one with a psychiatric problem! Not her wedding, not her choice. She sounds awful and it seems to have given her so many chances in the past only to be disappointed by her again. Sadly some people should never have been mothers. Cut her out.

Butchyrestingface · 28/12/2018 15:25

I think I would have invited him just to shut them up and so as not to give the impression that I was homophobic. I can well understand why you didn't though.

I then went home and told my husband what she had said and he has decided my mother is not to be involved in the baby's life until she treats me with respect and apologizes for what she has done.

I read the above and thought, "well, at least one of you has some sense." Harsh, but I think you'd be better off without them in your life from the way you've told it.

Clutterbugsmum · 28/12/2018 15:49

I would suggest you read some of the 'they took me to stately home threads' in the relationship section I would take a guess and think you will find a lot things similar to what has happened to you.

Basically your choice to either allow you mum and family to dictate how you bring up your child or have to deal with their utter madness.

OR

Have a happy stress free life with your DH and his family, it not really a choice is it.

lauraannk · 28/12/2018 16:25

Thanks for your messages everyone, really helps. Sometimes I wonder should I just take it and forget everything to keep the peace but I don't want to be a doormat and I worry about how she would treat my baby in years to come.

It's hard for me to say what her side of the story is because nobody she has spoken with talks to me at this point so I don't think I'll ever really know what she told people. I only know the gist from what she and my aunt told me.

And rightly pointed out by everyone, it was only people in brand new relationships (ie people who started going out after I sent the invites) that we didn't extend a plus one to. Our guest list was kept within the limit of what we could afford and I didn't want to be forced into anything.

I should also point out that my mother contacted relatives on my dad's side of the family before all of this and told them they would not be welcome at the wedding because she doesn't get on with them (my parents are separated). I still sent them invites but they all declined.

OP posts:
Kweva90 · 28/12/2018 19:10

oh dear, this sounds like you have had to deal with alot over the past few years with you mother. At 23 weeks pregnant you shouldn't have to deal with all this unnesscary drama.

Sounds like you are not being unreasonable at all, I think your mother is. I think your Dh is right - dont allow your mother to spoil your pregnancy.

Your Dh and his fam really seem like people who are looking out for you here.

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