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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DM making me feel more and more anxious

4 replies

Japanese2024 · 04/10/2024 20:10

Background: brought me up as a young single mother, provides childcare once a week, does a lot for us, has been on and off very ill over the years. Looks after my DS who struggles with mental illness too.

My Mum is very hot and cold with me. I have a DS who is two and it's making me see things clearer. I'm not a perfect daughter or I'm at least made to feel I'm not, but im certainly not a bad person. I often feel anxious/worse after our phone calls. Today my DS has tonsilities, FIL is sick. Its been a tiring day but nothing major. My Mum rang and was telling her about trying to balance looking after FIL and DS, to which she replied 'why is DS even that sick?'. Then I said its fine, im just trying to balance the day. She replied 'well I solo parented for years and made a living'.

My sister who lives with her is currently under going mental health assessments and my Mum seems to be making them about her. She comments about how devastated she is that DS has depression. I try be very relaxed about this to balance overreaction. She said 'why aren't you saying anything more? We're distraught'. Myself and others in family believe the diagnosis is made worse by Mum.

The morning of my wedding she also rang me to say 'she was devastated my Grandmother couldn't attend due to illness'. I rang my aunty and uncle that morning to ask that she doesn't call me about being devastated on my wedding day. The day after baby was born she kept commenting how everyone assumed she would have met baby by now, even though hospital only allowed partners in. Our cat died earlier this year, I know its 'just' a pet but she replied telling me she had a cold and humans are more important.

I've had a lot of counselling over this relationship but I find myself more and more insecure. Thank you if you got this far x

OP posts:
Japanese2024 · 04/10/2024 21:21

Cheeky hopeful bump for the late evening crowd x

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Octavia64 · 04/10/2024 21:26

I mean it does sound like she is quite a negative and anxious person, and you obviously don't respond well to that.

I'd be upset about the wedding day phone call as well.

On the other hand it does sound like she does a lot for you - one day a week free childcare is a lot.

If she's too much for you (and my mother can be the same) then maybe you need to back off a bit and see her less, stop looking to her for emotional support (because you clearly aren't going to get it). You'll find that hard to do if you have to see her once a week for free childcare.

gamerchick · 04/10/2024 21:27

I think sometimes we have to accept the way our mothers are or we ditch them. Learn how to manage our reactions to their crap. Be like duck type of thing.

I personally ditched mine. She hammered my mental health and life is a lot better without her in it. She also pulled shit when I was getting married and the attention was on me. She couldn't stand me being the focus of anything.

Japanese2024 · 04/10/2024 21:32

She really wants to be a part of DS life and offered the childcare. It certainly saves on one day's of fees. I find myself anxious that morning every week, I know she will comment on something. I just wish my sister can see how my Mum is making the diagnosis about her

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