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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to go NC with parents

7 replies

Rp735 · 17/10/2023 18:33

I am 40. As a child, I suffered a great deal of physical but more importantly mental abuse from my mother. My father witnessed it but stayed mum as he is helpless. My mother has never acknowledged any of her behaviour and has always blamed it on circumstances but mostly on me. All instances of me standing up for myself have gone down as me abusing her. She has held on to it all this while. We don't talk about it much but she refers to it all the time. I also have a younger sister who was saved all her ire as her focus was on me. My sister has also abetted this behaviour when she could as this has firmly established her as a favourite.
As a adult, I have build a very successful career and have a loving family. My sister is poorer though not poor. My parents massively bear a grudge against me for not helping my sister and setting her up as well as me. I have helped every time I was asked but it was never acknowledged. Their expectation of helping her to have things I do not have myself does not make sense to me.
All this constant blaming and gaslighting takes a toll on my mental peace and sometimes brings out the worst in me too. I would love to not be in contact with any of them. But do not find the courage. My mother has a history of mental health issues and has always threatened me with suicide. As a child this was the hold she had on me. She did take an overdose of sleep medication once when i was a teenager though it wasn't medically serious. If she does do something of this sort, I may regret this forever. I also do not want to take my dd 8 to not have any contact with her family. They are also getting older and I do not want to shirk my responsibilities towards them. My family is very old fashioned and this will go very badly. Please help.

OP posts:
billy1966 · 17/10/2023 19:06

Your priority should be keeping yourself as well as you can for your daughter and your own family.

Your family are toxic and offer nothing of value to your life.

That you have been controlled by the threat of suicide is just more toxic abuse.

In your place you should go NC and focus on your life and living the best one you can.
You deserve no less.

Any threats of suicide should be passed to the police.

You will never have peace until you do this.

There is nothing wrong with wanting peace in your life.

Think about your daughter and ehat you would like to model her?

Self sacrifice of her mental health or cutting out toxic abuse and protecting herself?

I know which I would want for my daughters.

MadKittenWoman · 17/10/2023 19:15

Going NC with mine was the best thing I could do for my mental health and the peace of DH and DS. I felt sadness when she died, not because I missed her but I was sad for what could and should have been. People who have a normal relationship with their mother will not understand and will try to guilt trip you. Stay strong.

Purplecatshopaholic · 17/10/2023 19:22

Op, you need to go NC. Your family are toxic and Will Never Be the family you want and deserve.

Merryoldgoat · 17/10/2023 19:29

Honestly - I’d never see them again.

TiredMamOfTwo · 17/10/2023 19:33

I'd go no contact and never look back.

sometimes you need to be cruel to be kind, but being kinder to yourself is the best thing you could ever do op. You don't want your child growing up thinking this is normal to be treated like shit.

Flounderez · 17/10/2023 19:56

Hi OP. I’m a similar age to you and have been no contact with my mother for about 7 years now. She also physically but mainly emotionally abused me. She has never once apologised for the way she treated me, or offered so much as any explanation or acknowledgment that what she did was wrong. I grew up thinking I was a terrible, unlovable person and it has led to self esteem issues in my adult life. Similarly to you my family is very old fashioned.

Since I had my DS I decided that I couldn’t let my mother treat him the way she did me (she would cut us off for months, post our baby pictures through the letterbox, tell us to never contact her again, then when whatever the issue was had blown over she would pick things up where they left off). I didn’t want my son to build a relationship with her and have her walking out on him when she decided he or I needed to be punished emotionally for whatever ridiculous reason.

I was incredibly sad for about a year after I decided to cut all contact with her, but now 7 years down the line I feel relieved. I don’t need to worry about pleasing her, don’t need to worry about treading on eggshells, or worry that she will decide to disown me and my child again. I love her and always will, but I know I’ll never have any contact with her again and Im relieved. I also think when you have children of your own it opens your eyes to behaviour that you might have previously accepted - I know I could never treat my DS the way she did me and wonder why she couldn’t love me enough to make sure I had a decent childhood when I know I would do anything I could for him.

no one can tell you what to do, but it sounds like it might be the best decision for you. You need to think of your own well-being and your child. Your family sound toxic.

Rp735 · 17/10/2023 21:38

Thank you everyone who has replied. I really believe it is the right thing to do but need to.muster the courage to do it.

OP posts:
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