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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Self centered daughter

155 replies

Mandy63 · 20/11/2023 21:35

My daughter is 34 years old and transgender ( born male) the reason I mention this is I'm not sure if it has anything to do with her attitude.
I'm also not sure if she is on the autism spectrum or if I'm just looking for something to prove she's not just self absorbed
2 years ago she moved in with her new partner and everything seemed fine.
About a month ago her partner came to me and said that my daughter was driving her mad. Not helping around the house, leaving cups and plates in the bedroom and even leaving her partner to look after my granddaughter when she went to stay.
They have since split and her partner has moved out. My daughter cannot afford the rent on her own and has an eviction notice. I found out today that the rent is due again in 2 days and she doesn't have it.
She has known for a few weeks that she needs to look for somewhere to live, go to the council, start packing etc. None of which she has done. Finally today she went to the council but has to wait for an appointment
Knowing how urgent things are and obviously being worried about her I took the afternoon off work and asked her to come round. Oh no she couldn't do that as she couldn't face doing anything else today and had plans with a friend.
I was so angry with her I'm afraid she received a very curt txt and also one from her older brother who saw how upset it made me.
At the moment I'm leaving her to it, she's 34 with a 10 yr old daughter and needs to start to grow up
Should I stay out of it and let her either sink or swim?

OP posts:
Dulra · 21/11/2023 09:07

I'm also not sure if she is on the autism spectrum or if I'm just looking for something to prove she's not just self absorbed
What makes you think this? What were they like growing up? Did you ever think they might be on the spectrum back then? My dd1 is asd and adhd, she is 16 and her organisation and life skills are very poor. She is going to need a lot of OT support to help her manage life as she gets older (cleaning, cooking, budgeting, routine, time keeping etc) I do a lot of it for her at the moment but slowly letting go and supporting her with developing these skills while she is still living at home. Did you ever notice any issues with this as she was growing up? If it has constantly been a struggle to manage life well maybe there is more to it but if that was not the case it does sound like they are choosing not to face up to things.

TinyRebel · 21/11/2023 09:13

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Mandy63 · 21/11/2023 09:15

We had tests done for different things growing up but not autism. Speech therapy as she seemed to struggle with speech but it was determined she could talk perfectly well, just couldn't be bothered. Dispraxia too but all clear.We have suggested it but her answer is the waiting list is too long. However she's happy to wait on a list for gender reassignment 🤦

OP posts:
Mandy63 · 21/11/2023 09:16

She's the father

OP posts:
MyCircumference · 21/11/2023 09:16

she may or may not be autistic, but that doesnt solve the situation.

AInightingale · 21/11/2023 09:23

Did he transition after his wife gave birth? I'm afraid this is all sounding rather textbook AGP disorder. Your former daughter in law refused to be reincarnated as a 'lesbian' and is now married to a man. I really think you should speak to her and ask her what kind of relationship she wants your son to have with their daughter.

I just refuse to play the game with sexed nouns and pronouns, I'm sorry.

Fredblog · 21/11/2023 09:38

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Quite

TheOccupier · 21/11/2023 10:36

Cailin66 · 21/11/2023 07:50

The OP said her son is a woman, so he is the child's mother.

Male people can't be mothers. A mother is a female parent (biological or adoptive, but always female) - that's the definition of the word. You know that really - you're trying to insist on the word "mother" but earlier in the same sentence you've described the same person as a "son"...

ManateeFair · 21/11/2023 10:41

Of course being transgender doesn't have anything to do with her attitude. What a weird thing to say. Being transgender doesn't make you disorganised.

Anyway. She's in her 30s, ffs. None of this is your problem, assuming your granddaughter is OK.

I find it very weird that her ex-partner came to you to complain about your daughter's behaviour. What were they expecting you to do about it? They're adults. It's not up to you to deal with your daughter being shit at picking up a dirty cup.

ManateeFair · 21/11/2023 10:42

Mandy63 · 21/11/2023 09:15

We had tests done for different things growing up but not autism. Speech therapy as she seemed to struggle with speech but it was determined she could talk perfectly well, just couldn't be bothered. Dispraxia too but all clear.We have suggested it but her answer is the waiting list is too long. However she's happy to wait on a list for gender reassignment 🤦

Basically, you just don't like her, do you?

Z1hun · 21/11/2023 11:06

Anything you do, do it for the grandchild who has no choice in this situation not for your child who got into this situation.

redalex261 · 21/11/2023 11:16

Hi OP, apparently the self absorption and disregard for routine tasks and financial mismanagement can often be a feature of the transitioning process for some trans identified males. Have a look at the Trans widow series of threads on Mumsnet for more info. Their focus seems to move to clothes/makeup/beauty treatments and normal bills are ignored along with family in many cases. Just let them get on with it, any financial help will be money wasted at present; according to most of the transwidows there is no reasoning with them at this stage. At least grand daughter will be ok with mum.

TryingToTalkYourWayOutOfIt · 21/11/2023 11:18

Your daughter seems to have her head in the sand about it. Could you have your GD until your daughter gets sorted out?

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 21/11/2023 11:21

I agree with everyone saying let an adult get on with it, as long as the GC is ok. Not much else you can do but I wouldn’t throw away your money and annual leave.

Difficult with an adult child but regardless of trans status or even ND they have to leave to cope - I mean obviously different if very severe autism but that wouldn’t be the case here.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 21/11/2023 11:21

TryingToTalkYourWayOutOfIt · 21/11/2023 11:18

Your daughter seems to have her head in the sand about it. Could you have your GD until your daughter gets sorted out?

The GC is with her Mum luckily

AInightingale · 21/11/2023 11:34

When you say 'leaving her partner to look after her daughter', do you mean for long periods? Doesn't sound very invested in parenting this child. As PP said, it's very typical of this type of trans-identified male - the neglect of a child, the neglect of life admin. and other responsibilities while they nurture their 'identity'.

JFT · 21/11/2023 11:36

Mandy63 · 21/11/2023 08:46

It's hard to put everything in the original post. My annoyance comes from the fact that time and time again she doesn't prioritize things like finding somewhere to live or entertaining her daughter. I suppose I'm just as annoyed with myself for keep doing it. But as a mum it's hard not to.
But the way I feel at the moment, even after sleeping on it I may be ready to take a step back

You're going to have to take a step back I'm afraid.

Observing a child behaving poorly is really difficult, not denying that. However, aside from offering constructive support if it's wanted, attempting to gently explain that the consequences of such behaviour might lead to longer term unhappy outcomes (such as homelessness, loss of relationship with child etc), there's not much you can do. I wouldn't issue forwards criticism and threats or bullying as it's simply counterproductive even if you're angry.

I don't think it's reasonable to have expected them to meet you when you had your afternoon off unless you'd already negotiated it and your son had no business wading in to say you're upset, that's just manipulation and triangulation and drama of everyone. Try not to do that. Having a dramatic, upset, bullying, critical, parent is the first thing that would repel anyone from turning to you for help. Try to be kind because being kind is the most helpful thing that could resolve problems, don't be a mug though.

If your daughter's feeling overwhelmed, mentally unstable, or depressed, or is just straight up feckless, they're going to need to accept that they need extra help, support, and implement some systems so as to be able to function - not easy. Can they get some counselling / relationship counselling somewhere? There's organisations that specifically offer counselling for transgendered people, for example in London - Galop, Stonewall, London Friend. Dunno where you live though.

Wellhellooooodear · 21/11/2023 11:43

Cailin66 · 21/11/2023 07:50

The OP said her son is a woman, so he is the child's mother.

Are you aware that biological males cannot give birth?

Mandy63 · 21/11/2023 12:24

I love her very much but right at this moment no I don't like her very much. But that doesn't mean I won't be there for her. I won't see her on the street but just want her to take some responsibility

OP posts:
Verv · 21/11/2023 12:29

Stay out of it OP.
At 34 years old you don't need to be a safety net or a bank

Melroses · 21/11/2023 12:35

Cailin66 · 21/11/2023 07:50

The OP said her son is a woman, so he is the child's mother.

Any creation of a legal fiction as to a person's 'gender' (GRA 2004) specifically does not include any children of that person.

A father remains a father of a child.

Melroses · 21/11/2023 12:40

AInightingale · 21/11/2023 09:23

Did he transition after his wife gave birth? I'm afraid this is all sounding rather textbook AGP disorder. Your former daughter in law refused to be reincarnated as a 'lesbian' and is now married to a man. I really think you should speak to her and ask her what kind of relationship she wants your son to have with their daughter.

I just refuse to play the game with sexed nouns and pronouns, I'm sorry.

I'm afraid this is what you need to do if you want to retain a relationship with your 10 yr old granddaughter. She is growing up and you need to make it easy for her. The time soon passes.

As for your 34 year old child, you can suggest asking for a referral for assessment for ASD. As an adult, it is a matter of being able to lead a horse to water etc. and I am not sure that is even possible. They have to works stuff out for themselves. You need to step back and think of your own needs in this too.

JazbayGrapes · 21/11/2023 12:48

this must be another wind-up thread surely

Birdcar · 21/11/2023 13:01

I'm not seeing self centred behaviour here. She's not putting herself first. It sounds like she's not doing much of anything at all. My guess would be that she can't get her act together, rather than she won't get her act together. There's likely to be a reason why she can't. An assessment for ASD or ADHD would be worth her while.

VoiceOfCommonSense · 21/11/2023 13:23

Cailin66 · 21/11/2023 07:50

The OP said her son is a woman, so he is the child's mother.

Haha, just because he thinks he’s a woman it doesn’t mean we have to play along with his delusion. He is the child’s father..