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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DW insistent that everyone has 'childhood trauma'

117 replies

AugustSlipsAway · 07/10/2023 11:14

Been married to DW (we're both women) for 5 years and I feel like this issue is driving us apart.

DW has been NC with her parents since she was in her early 20s.

My mum is one of my best friends. Once every 1-2 weeks, usually during my lunch break, my mum and I would meet at this lovely cafe 10 minutes walk from my house catch up and try out their new coffees/pastries. Once a month we will go hiking together on Saturday or Sunday.

DW hates leaving the house (it used to be less extreme but now she is basically homebound and would rather spend all day watching YouTube) which I don't mind that much if it weren't for the fact that she doesn't like it when I go for these lunches or hikes with my mum. She's invited but she doesn't want to go as there will be noise/crowds. She hates the outdoors. She says she has nothing to say to my mum.

We got into an argument a few times, and she's insisted that she doesn't understand how a grown adult can be so close to their parents and that it's obsessive. She also insists that everyone has childhood trauma and it's stupid and naive if someone doesn't realise they have it because it's impossible for anyone to make it out of childhood without having some sort of trauma.

Asked her to give me some examples and she brings up heated arguments/debates we had during periods of stress. I cry when I'm stressed. 10 minutes after the issue is over, it's settled and I'm happy again. DW thinks this is her 'gotcha' point about how I have unresolved childhood trauma. It's irritating and quite insulting, actually.

AIBU to think that not everyone has childhood trauma? I just enjoy spending time with my mum ffs and every week I have to sit through this lecture with DW instead.

OP posts:
MidnightOnceMore · 07/10/2023 12:05

Every child experiences negative emotions such as anger, frustration, worry, jealousy etc. These feelings come even if you are very lucky overall - they are part of human life.

But of course not everyone suffers actual childhood trauma.

I do think more people suffer trauma than we like to acknowledge as a society - because if we did acknowledge it we might have to do something about it!

It sounds like your wife is projecting and may be struggling with the juxtaposition between her family situation and yours. You're allowed to have these positive interactions with your mum. Your wife needs help with her feelings about them. If she won't accept help, you may need to set very clear boundaries (no more discussion of this, no lectures). If the boundaries are not respected, you've got a problem.

Lentilweaver · 07/10/2023 12:10

The problem here is not the OP's relationship with her parents. The problem is that her wife is seriously mentally ill. The title should have been "Is it reasonable for my wife to spend 15 hours a day on the net and never leave the house?"

Lookatmytoes · 07/10/2023 12:10

My partner has a poor relationship with his family and rarely leaves the house. These things and the accompanying MH conditions are probably linked. I have a wide circle of friends and good relationships with my family. He never wants to undermine these relationships and never begrudges my time with them. That is what I would expect if someone able to put me first instead of making everything about them.

notfeeblebutPhoebe · 07/10/2023 12:13

I remember that 20 or 30 years back, hypnotists were 'releasing' memories of past lives.
Everyone's fantasy, Russian daughter of a Tsar, housemaid country house like Downton.
Someone has been persuading your DW and making her fearful. Has she paid money to anyone for 'therapy' you are not sure of?

NeverDropYourMooncup · 07/10/2023 12:14

I'd venture that most, if not all, people have experienced some Adverse Childhood Experiences. However, many have protective factors that mean those experiences are dealt with in ways that increases resilience and do not result in unresolved trauma.

For example, somebody may experience a close relative dying. With strong protective factors, such as one or two loving parents, a supportive wider family, good, caring, well resourced school, a secure and good condition home and adequate income to meet their physical and emotional needs, it becomes a sad bereavement that they come to terms with.

However, add in the loss of that person meaning a parent was unable to care adequately for them, abuse, poverty and insecure or inadequate housing, a long drawn out and painful demise or a sudden death in the child's presence, lack of support from school, bullying, illness, disability, SEND not being identified and handled adequately, a loss of friends, further bereavements, experiencing systemic discrimination such as for ethnicity/faith/now being in a single parent or no parent family, etc - and the continuing tally of ACEs result in unhealed trauma wounds that can carry into the next generation as well as throughout adulthood.

Sounds like your DW cannot see beyond her own trauma, which is what multiple ACEs can do to somebody. And instead of gaining insight that whilst most people do have sad or unpleasant things in their childhood, some don't (lucky them - and I mean that, that's great) and some do, but they are adequately supported to develop that resilience, possibly because they experienced a smaller number in all.

At the moment, she's using the accusations possibly because she cannot imagine that somebody can't have experienced everything or because she's looking for reasons to justify her continuing exactly as she is whilst you facilitate her not making that scary change to how she sees and responds to life. And she's probably at best envious of what you do have whilst being resentful that she doesn't, so it's safer in her mind to denigrate it because then it's not such a stark difference between what the two of you experienced. 'I didn't want it anyway, it's shit and all fake, anyhow' when it's something she desperately craved as a child and still as an adult.

It could also be that she thinks if you realise from your support that this is not a healthy situation - where she controls things - that you'll stop enabling her, which is a threat; your positive relationships are a threat to her position.

Do you have to remain in that situation if it's making you unhappy? No, not at all. You're not her therapist and you don't owe anybody that. You also don't owe her practical, physical, financial or emotional support to stay as she is - or to change. If you look closely at the exact dynamics in your relationship, could they be one of rescuer and victim or controlled by the fear of reactions? Could they, if you take out the sex of both of you and look at it purely in terms of behaviour, not sex, be interpreted as an abusive and coercive relationship such as described in Why Does He Do That? Does she only stop once you cry and then say it's your fault and you're reacting wrongly because of your 'failure' to accept your loving parent is actually not loving? Looking at it dispassionately, does she benefit from you losing the external support and care if you reject your mother? Is your relationship with your Mum an obstacle for her to overcome?

Createausername1970 · 07/10/2023 12:14

I think she sounds in a bad head space. Jealousy? Depression? Unresolved trauma? A bit of all three and more?

You loved your wife enough to marry her and saw a future for you both. I think you need to try to resolve this if you can. See if she will acknowledge this is an issue and is open to support etc. If she remains adamant this is what she wants going forward, then you should consider your options and tell her how you feel.

As you go hiking with your mum most weekends, could you arrange to stay overnight at your mum's. Have a conversation with your DW and then give her time and space to consider what's been said?

CopperLion · 07/10/2023 12:15

No OP, your relationship with your mum sounds lovely. Your marriage maybe less so. It sounds as though your DW would benefit from some help working through her own stuff.

RockStarship · 07/10/2023 12:18

She sounds like a very unhappy person, with issues from her past which are affecting her deeply now, made worse by constantly watching drivel on the internet which is most definitely exacerbating the problem.

Social media is dreadful for people's mental health for a number of reasons but one of them is that in places like TikTok there are huge numbers of supposedly knowledgeable people taking umbrage at all sorts of silly and minor issues as well as major ones, and it all rolls into this idea of the world and humanity being doomed. The people preaching to others are all messed up in their heads as well, so this idea of knowledgeable people who can lead you out of the doom and into the light if you just follow their (usually ridiculous) advice is nothing more than illusion.

Your DW needs to cut herself off from it all, leave the house and get back to the real world. I did this a month ago and I can't tell you the sense of relief and lightness I now feel away from the social media whiners and manipulators.

Kilminchy123 · 07/10/2023 12:18

She just can’t imagine herself having a lovely bond with her parents like you do as that isn’t a possibility for her due to her childhood and NC with her parents - so to her it seems a bit mad which is unreasonable for her to not open her eyes to the reality that everyone’s bond with their parents are different. I personally had a very f’d up childhood and am now realising even more so as an adult and parent myself, but my partners seemed like something out of a lovely movie ! Which can seem mad to me (only because I can’t believe some people are so lucky lol) but I would never dismiss that as that is his reality and we strive to have that reality for our own children. How mean of her to make you question your bond honestly

EmmaEmerald · 07/10/2023 12:19

SausageinaBun · 07/10/2023 11:35

Trauma is a bit of a fad at the moment. Of course some people have experience childhood trauma. But if you look around, it's being used to explain all sort of stuff. Schools are full of "trauma informed behaviour" approaches and quite a lot of it is complete bollocks.

Has your DP picked this up from social media?

I'd wonder this too

I increasingly come across this idea that everyone has trauma. Makes a lot of money for therapists.

I'm pleased to see the vote on here. I thought a lot of MNers would agree with her.

Willyoujustbequiet · 07/10/2023 12:20

It's offensive to those who have experienced actual trauma to suggest everyone has.

Bit like the everyone's a little bit autistic/OCD/depressed etc brigade.

She sounds like she's projecting/jealous

Nn9011 · 07/10/2023 12:22

I don't think this is her getting sucked in by social media - she probably is using it to disassociate which is making her feel worse. This is probably burnout/depression from not dealing with her trauma. I've experienced this myself and the only way she'll get better is if she wants to. I'd recommend she speaks to her gp and looks at meds to help with the immediate feelings and then counselling to deal with it. Please be patient but explain your concerns clearly and constructively.

Conkersinautumn · 07/10/2023 12:25

I definitely have childhood trauma, and costly therapy to move forwards. I don't think everyone does but I think a lot of people normalise / have normalised very damaging behaviour and have poor boundaries when it comes to their families.

Anonymouseposter · 07/10/2023 12:28

She sounds mentally unwell and is feeding it by reading too much pop psychology and negativity on the internet. I think most people have some upsetting experiences in childhood but that not everyone has experiences that are so out of the ordinary that they would be termed traumatic. Your relationship with your Mum sounds normal and pleasant. Don’t let her pull you down with her. Either detach a bit and do your own thing while encouraging her to get help or make a decision to walk away.

Mummy08m · 07/10/2023 12:32

Op have you ever heard of hikikomori? It's a Japanese word for a person who withdraws from social life, stays at home and spends most of the time on the Internet, for years. Usually a young person, and nearly always financially supported/housed in a stable way by someone else (eg parents or in your case spouse). Often men but over 40% women. It can be caused by trauma but it often isn't. They cause untold worry and misery to their loved ones.

It's not a self limiting behaviour, it usually just gets worse and worse. Depending on the bits of the Internet they use, they can become radicalised politically, or by the incel community, or eating disorders, etc. Other behaviours can include hoarding.

Your dw might not have this/be like this. It's just a thing I've read about that you've reminded me of.

In any case, though, if I were you, I'd leave. I'd only put up with this from my own child, not from a spouse or anyone else. A spouse should enrich your life and ease your burdens.

Sparkletastic · 07/10/2023 12:34

She sounds very mentally ill but that is not a problem for you to solve.

SchoolQuestionnaire · 07/10/2023 12:38

Aquamarine1029 · 07/10/2023 11:34

No your wife is totally wrong there. Not everyone has had childhood trauma and I find it incredulous that she actually thinks this is true.

The op's wife knows full well this isn't true, she just saying this to control and gaslight the op. It's a tactic of a garden variety abuser. She's trying to alienate the op from everyone else in her life.

This.

Op you know yanbu spending time with your dm or anyone else. She doesn’t want you to so she’s trying to make it seem odd or strange. It’s really not, it’s perfectly normal to spend time with your dm.

It is not normal to think spending time with your parents is obsessive or to believe that everyone has unresolved childhood trauma. The only one causing you trauma here is your batshit dw with her ridiculous opinions. Please don’t listen to her. I would give anything to have my dm back and meet her for lunch or a coffee. You and your dm have a lovely relationship, make the most of it.

emmylousings · 07/10/2023 12:45

We probably overstretch the concept of trauma these days. Regardless, its possible to have had a less than idyllic childhood, but still be close to your parents because as an adult, you understand that life is tricky and your parents are fallible like everyone. You move past the idealised childhood perception of them.
Your relationship with your mum sounds lovely, not wierd at all. Your wife sounds quite unwell.

Hooplahooping · 07/10/2023 12:57

AugustSlipsAway · 07/10/2023 11:36

She's always been a homebody which I saw nothing wrong with. The past year especially she just doesn't want to leave the house anymore and she says it's because the world is shit so why would anyone want to leave the house anyway when you can do everything on the internet. She firmly believes that the state of the world is the problem, and hers is the only logical response to it.

But the internet funnels you a version of reality that skews more and more negative as you click on anxiety inducing headlines.

sounds like she would benefit hugely from a digital detox of some kind.

RaininSummer · 07/10/2023 13:06

Your wife has some odd ideas. I am very close to my mum and daughters. See one daughter every week and visit mum most weeks.

Oioicaptain · 07/10/2023 13:08

Have you asked your DW what her childhood trauma is? I'm always rather concerned by people who go NC with family members, unless in exceptional circumstances. It seems to be increasingly normalised on MN. Over the last 30 years my sister has repeatedly cut people out of her life, especially family. She has developed a strategy that it is easier to cut and run than work through things. Consequently she has never learned the skills of resilience and resolution. She has become increasingly distrustful and isolated. She is now terminally ill and refuses to have any contact with any family member. My dear Dad is also terminally ill. The whole situation is heartbreaking but so cruel for my mother. She's not an easy lady to deal with, but my dad is the easiest person in the world to deal with. He's calm, rational and nurturing. I realise that my sister is clearly struggling with her mental health, but I believe that her NC approach through life has led to greater unhappiness for her and left her always thinking the worst of people. She's clearly done it as a means of protecting herself but the outcome is extremely cruel. Your DW Seems resentful of your good relationship with your parents. You would think that, if she is NC with her own parents, she would relish the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with yours. The fact that she tries the opposite instead shows that she holds resentment. I can't stand conflict and families not getting along. I couldn't be in a relationship with a person who didn't get on well with others.

Winnipeggy · 07/10/2023 13:11

It's not the childhood trauma thing I would be worried about, it's the fact that she doesn't want you seeing your mum. To say it's obsessive to see your mum regularly is really worrying. I wouldn't be able to handle pretty much everything you've said about her as a partner.

theduchessofspork · 07/10/2023 13:12

Your wife isn’t well at all.

Is she is anyway aware of this and does she want help?

Do not allow this to become an abusive relationship. I say this because it appears she is making you question yourself. Of course your relationship with your mum is normal and of course not everyone has childhood trauma.

AtrociousCircumstance · 07/10/2023 13:14

Wow. You’re in a toxic relationship with someone very controlling OP.

It sounds awful. Just - gross really. Her twisted manipulative behaviour towards you is enough to make anyone feel queasy.

Please leave.

HiCandles · 07/10/2023 13:15

I certainly don't have childhood trauma and enjoy spending time with my parents now. Yes we had the standard disagreements but that's part of children learning what's acceptable and not in the world. I always knew my parents loved me, put me first and had my best interests at heart.
She doesn't sound much fun OP, and this behaviour sounds downright controlling. A partner for me is partly someone to do things with, days out, restaurants, theatre, holidays, and to get more pleasure doing them with that person than alone. What are you getting out of the relationship other than being ranted at?!