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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Aibu to not go and see mother anymore

19 replies

Taraboobaa · 26/09/2023 18:16

She is in long term care but is so abusive and so difficult I can no longer manage with every day life
my every day is consumed with getting her things washing her things her having a go if I can’t make it in or bring dc to see her (they hate it)
At one point she threatened to call police on me if I didn’t return some of her items (that she had given me to sort for her) in that instant
I have a kidney infection and she is currently going mad that I haven’t brought her items in
I’m a single mum and can barely walk
I feel so so down that my every day is consumed with her and having to send me teams of messages on how awful I am, a bad parent, a bad mum
thing is she knows things about me that she could twist she has used threats to get me to comply in the past but I’m done with it all
she has no one else so if I turn my back on her she will be stuck - and without things she needs. I don’t want to see her in that way but she will not listen or even be nice
i dread any communication with her

OP posts:
TeaKitten · 26/09/2023 18:19

By long term care do you mean a care home? Why can they not do these things for her?

Addedon · 26/09/2023 18:20

Oh god op this sounds awful. I would drop anything else you have of hers to the home/place where she lives then send a short message telling her that you are done. Then block.

I'm guessing the reason she has no one else is because of how unpleasant she is.

CinnamonBear · 26/09/2023 18:21

YANBU. Stop allowing yourself to be her target. Say no and stop your visits. Block her on your phone. Take care of yourself and your children.

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 26/09/2023 18:23

Was she always like this or has it come on with old age? If it's the latter it could be dementia. I'm not for one second suggesting you should put up with this treatment, but if she was a nice mum who now has dementia I'd find a way to support her from a distance, eg talking to care home staff to identify her needs and dropping things off with them. If she was always like this then absolutely stop having anything to do with her.

CaroleSinger · 26/09/2023 18:23

Sometimes we think ourselves into situations we could easily walk away from. Very few people will have enough dirt on you to twist things to force you to keep tolerating their abuse. Return anything of hers then just stop contact. I'm not saying it's easy but it is possible. She really doesn't have the power over you that you think she does.

Taraboobaa · 26/09/2023 18:27

We have always struggled but she thinks it’s me. It’s got 1000 times worse and she does tend to rant about weird unrelated stuff these days. She does say things then forget or accuse me things I haven’t done but then again those things aren’t completely new
the difference is she shows me no love or kindness anymore, she did used to at times. I think she has eupd

OP posts:
Taraboobaa · 26/09/2023 18:29

Carolesinger
i think your right I feel immense fear and guilt at walking away. I have tried so many times but she just gets bigger and bigger. One time when I was younger she called my flat mate non stop and even his place of work
I have just learnt to respond to prevent her causing hell. When dc The as born I even more had to manage her as I was worried about her causing them embarrassment or humiliation

OP posts:
MooseBeTimeForSnow · 26/09/2023 18:34

I got similar threats and abuse from my elderly mum. She had vascular dementia.

flapjackfairy · 26/09/2023 18:35

@Taraboobaa
Have a look at the stately homes thread on here.You will find lot's of people in similar circumstances and get great advice and support x

Redbushteaforme · 26/09/2023 18:36

I have had this with my mum and, although she could always be a bit manipulative and unpleasant, we rubbed along fairly OK and I did a lot for her as there was no-one else to do it. I think there has been an element of dementia over the past 2-3 years which made things much, much worse, and involved her calling the police out to me because she had taken against me so much. She was actually at the stage that she seemed to hate me (and I promise, I hadn't done anything to deserve that!) DH told me to go NC but guilt wouldn't let me do that so I decided instead to see her on a limited basis on my own terms, and to refuse to rise to the bait. This has actually worked quite well and she is much easier to deal with now on my terms.

WallaceinAnderland · 26/09/2023 18:48

Return her things and cut contact. If she hassles anyone tell them to contact the police as harassment is illegal.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 26/09/2023 18:56

Oh OP, it’s so difficult. On the one hand you are upset and afraid, on the other hand, guilt and duty compel you to go on.

I did ten years with my mother. In the end I told her care home I wasn’t coming anymore when she used to try to hit me with her walking stick. I still did all the financial etc admin, and I called them for regular updates.

🌺

sandyhappypeople · 26/09/2023 19:24

No one should have to go through this, if it’s because of her illness then it’s very unfortunate but if she’s always been this way then it’s definitely time for things to change.

Why not agree to see her once a week at a set time? But if she starts trying to abuse you while you’re there just leave, don’t argue back, don’t engage, you have the power here. Does she have a phone that she calls you with? Just ignore her calls or block the number if it’s driving you to despair. Only engage when YOU want to, not when she demands you do. It may take her a while to get used to it, but she’s got no other choice but to go along with your wishes or cut you off, but at least it’s not you having to make that decision.

make sure the facility can get hold of you in case of emergency though.

FictionalCharacter · 26/09/2023 19:56

If she’s in a care home, how will she be stuck if you don’t bring her things and do her laundry? If you lived abroad, or she didn’t have children, the home would be doing this.
Distance yourself. You don’t deserve abuse. Send things for her to the home if you want, but stay away for your own and your kids’ well-being.

Embarrassednamechangeadoddle · 26/09/2023 20:01

You would not be unreasonable to stop seeing her. Is she in a home, surely they can care for her? If not then you can call social care if you think she will have unmet needs. Stop letting her control you and get yourself a calm life.

Block her number and/or have a phone just for her that you only check when you feel you want to see her communications

Poochypaws · 26/09/2023 21:08

I utterly feel your pain and can tell you it's her, not you. I have a mother who sounds similar. When I was a child myself, siblings and dad were all abused by her. When I grew up she behaved ok to me so I kind of 'forgot' how bad she had been (more fool me). I think during this period she continued to treat my dad like utter shite (he was her kicking boy) as all her kids were away from home and thus could not be touched to the same extent less anyone outside family saw her behaviour.

I foolishly tried to look after her in old age and as my dad had died she reverted back to me being the kicking boy and abusing me. I did it for 4 years before she went into a care home where she currently is.

During those 4 years I was threatened, shamed, guilted, humiliated. She told countless lies to people about me. During the time my physical and mental health plummented to the worse state I have been in ever. Like your mum she had no qualms whatsoever about kicking up holly hell if she did not get her own way. (phoning police telling lies about she had been abandoned, screaming at me when I had bad covid in 2020 because I wasn't well enough to do what she wanted, told me repeatly that I was useless, no wonder my dad hated me, no wonder my siblings hated me, my ex boyfriend was right to have dumped me.
All the bad stuff she used to do as a child came back to me and it was just horrifying.

There is a sort of thought process in society that old ladies are sweet old things that are vunerable and helpless. It seems unacceptable that some are actually monsters. They always were monsters, they are just old now too.

If you are the big, strong, younger daughter it must be your fault because your mum is now shorter, thinner, frailer and older.

I will just give you some examples of behaviour from her as I am pretty sure she is very similar to your mum.

When I was a kid it was my job to cheer her up, listen to all her problems and calm her down. I used to spend my pocket money when about age 5 to buy her things she used to hint she wanted to make her happy

She used to tell me and my brother my dad was kicking us out and we were going to have to sleep on the streets and it would be terrifying. Me and my little brother would be terrified and would cry and beg my dad not to. My dad had never said any such things but my mum was using us to win an arguement. The fact she was traumitising her kids was of no consequence.

When I was 19 I moved down south to live with long term boyfriend who had got fab new job. Within 3 weeks my dad phoned me to tell me I had to come home to 'fix my mum' as she was depressed. I went running.

She told me when I was a child my dad wanted to have me aborted.

She used to tell tales to visitors to get a laugh which basically involved mocking and humiliating me.

She used to say when we were kids she was so poor she had holes in her knickers and used to worry about being in an accident. However she didn't mind as she wanted to be a stay at home mum with us. As a child that made her a hero in my eyes, as an adult I can see she wanted us to feel grateful for her sacrafice and guilty of the burden we were.

She played all her kids off against each other so we have no relationship.

I got told on a weekly basis what a burden I was

As an adult she tells anyone that will listen that I have mental health problems whenever I try to stand up for myself against her. (I do have mental health problems but because of the treatment not because of the standing up to her)

Nothing is more awful than somebody who kicks you and treats you like utter shit and tells everyone else lies about you.

My mums GP had an awful time with her and I was sort of glad that a professional person was 'seeing' her. Her GP told me she likely had a personality disorder. She tells lies constantly, creates drama to get attention and has zero sympathy for anyone else (though she will pretend she does).

My mum went into a care home because of fraility and cognitive impairment. To this day I still think a big part of her cognitive impairment is actually just her being her usual self. She got credit for 'oh she called you a useless cunt' it because she has cognitive impairment. It may have been or it may not have been as she always called me and my dad these kind of names in private so when she started doing it in public was it dementia or just her forgetting to do it only in private.

You will never win with her. If you are a perfect outstanding daughter for 100 days but on day 101 you fall sick, your name will be mud, you will be slagged off to everyone until you drag yourself off your deathbed to do her bidding.

Everyone who has a normal mother cannot understand. They say cut her off. However when you have been brainwashed as a child to do her bidding it is not so easy. Your self esteem has been broken, you are probably suffering CPTSD.

I'll be safe when she is dead and not before that. Although she did tell me when she died she would come back and haunt me so not to think i was getting away from her.

By the time my mum went into care home I was truly contemplating suicide as a way out to get away from her. Since she went into care home I have not returned any of their calls or visited her once. I will have the joy of selling her house/clearing it but I don't mind doing that as it does not involve seeing her. Not looking forward to it or anything but doable. However hell will freeze over before I see her again or spend one more minute in her company.

I know for a fact she will be telling everyone at the care home what a shit useless daughter I am and how she was such an amazing mum and that she can't understand it.

Monsters wear many faces. Sometimes they have white hair, frail bodies and abuse their children.

My advice - tell carehome you will speak to staff so your mum can tell them what she wants and they can tell you so you have no direct contact with her. You can pick up things and drop things off but to care home staff only.

It's quick a shock when you realise the biggest 'enemy' you ever had was the person who was supposed to protect you and love you.

FictionalCharacter · 27/09/2023 12:00

@Poochypaws
*There is a sort of thought process in society that old ladies are sweet old things that are vunerable and helpless. It seems unacceptable that some are actually monsters. They always were monsters, they are just old now too.

If you are the big, strong, younger daughter it must be your fault because your mum is now shorter, thinner, frailer and older.*

Absolutely - and you see it on MN from people who have normal mothers and haven’t experienced this. “But she’s your mum!” “How would you feel if your daughter treated you like this!” “She needs care, she can’t help being ill!”

Elderly people who are abusers know exactly what they’re doing. And if they get dementia, the behaviour can become magnified; and although they might no longer be fully aware of what they’re doing, they’ll continue to be abusive because it’s normal for them. The idea that people universally mellow in their old age is nonsense.

PrinceHaz · 27/09/2023 12:04

The fact that this is not dementia related and has gone on long term suggests to me that you should cut contact completely. You must.
You will need to be prepared for what she’ll do next to up the pressure. So plan for this.

Poochypaws · 27/09/2023 14:56

FictionalCharacter · 27/09/2023 12:00

@Poochypaws
*There is a sort of thought process in society that old ladies are sweet old things that are vunerable and helpless. It seems unacceptable that some are actually monsters. They always were monsters, they are just old now too.

If you are the big, strong, younger daughter it must be your fault because your mum is now shorter, thinner, frailer and older.*

Absolutely - and you see it on MN from people who have normal mothers and haven’t experienced this. “But she’s your mum!” “How would you feel if your daughter treated you like this!” “She needs care, she can’t help being ill!”

Elderly people who are abusers know exactly what they’re doing. And if they get dementia, the behaviour can become magnified; and although they might no longer be fully aware of what they’re doing, they’ll continue to be abusive because it’s normal for them. The idea that people universally mellow in their old age is nonsense.

thank you for understanding.

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