I have had an incredibly difficult relationship with my mother for most of my life. I'm convinced she has suffered serious mental health problems for as long as I remember. She was prone to going in 'huffs' where she would completely blank me for days when I was a child from around 7 years old but would rarely tell me the reason and she actually threw me out of the house a few times as a young teenager for minor things like having an untidy bedroom, showing too much concern for my father (they were divorced) when he was ill, having a boyfriend (at age 17) etc. She was diagnosed with depression but would not accept that.
Our relationship broke down fully a few days after my 18th birthday when she threw me out of the house for good but wouldn't tell me why, she just kept saying that I should know the reason. All my belongings were thrown in the street and I was forced to sofa surf until I went to Uni.
During the following months, my mother sent me a lot of extremely abusive text messages (calling me an evil little b**ch, telling me I was dead to her and other such delights). I really struggled to cope with all of this but eventually (and mercifully) all contact with my mother stopped.
Fast forward a good few years and without ever telling me why she had fallen out with me, she seemed to try to make friends. I decided to try to rebuild the relationship although I would never trust her. Things were ok for a while then I had a baby and my mother became a different person, really loving and kind with both me and baby to the point where she was visiting most days. This continued for around 2 years with only minor hiccups.
A few months ago, my mother suddenly stopped all contact and again would not tell me the reason. I am much stronger now than I ever was before so I managed to persist until she gave me a reason, which is that she can't stand my son's father and doesn't want to risk seeing him as it gives her anxiety. To be fair, there have been issues there so I understand them not getting on but never any arguments between them and he is not around a lot of the time due to work etc.
I made a decision not to pursue her, just told her it was a shame but ultimately her choice and it has been months now with no contact.
My issue now is what to do for the best for my son. He had a very close relationship with my mother and I can't fault her as a grandmother so I am devastated that this relationship may be lost and I am considering trying to appease her in some way.
On the other hand, I am determined to ensure that my son does not suffer emotional harm from her unpredictable behaviour the way I did and wonder whether it would be better to leave matters as they are. Friends and other family members are urging me not to be the one to run after her as always because they think this just feeds into the cycle but I am so torn and also conscious that she is not getting any younger. I lost my Dad last year and hate that my mother does not seem to want a sustainable relationship with my child when my Dad would have loved nothing more. On the other hand, I can't bear to think of my son one day being on the receiving end of her mood swings.
I also have 2 brothers and a sister, all of whom have children and my mother has contact with only 1 of my siblings and that is fairly limited and has been on/off due to my mother's behaviour.
AIBU to consider making the first move for the sake of my son? Or should I wait for her to come to me? If so, what then, should I risk letting her get close again? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as my head is battered by the whole thing!