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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To worry about my dad so much?

10 replies

Fishandchipsareyum · 16/12/2024 16:27

Hello all

So I am going to summarise this a good bit, there is too much back history.
My mum and dad divorced back in 1995... mum has married 3 times since then. Dad only married another 1 lady who was a hidden alcoholic so that ended badly.

My dad has had mental health issues most of his life. He is 76 and lives alone now. He has been quite mentally and verbally abusive to me all my life, but I always give him a free pass due to his mental health struggles, and he always made it up with me, I still try my best with him as it means a lot to me to give him some family life, I am an only child and other than me and my children he has nobody. I also have to deal with his funeral (he keeps unwell, has had 2 strokes and has bad mobility and insulin dependant diabetic)

However he often takes aggressive mental turns, and this one is the worse in a long time, maybe ever.

He is blaming me for something that happened when I was 10 years old and I'm almost 40! My mum left him and took me abroad, that destroyed an already mentally done in man, I chose to go with her instead of stay with him and his wife who didn't like me... I also cant remember much of anything from my childhood due to the amount of childhood mental trauma and constant upheaval and my mother was an awful mother too, she makes up for it now... has apologized etc

my issue is... what do I do if I think my dad needs help? He is very secretive and resistant to me helping him, we had Christmas / my 40th planned and he now brings all this up and I am really devastated.

He has tried to disown me a few times before, dur to his anger, and today I find out... a 30 year grudge on a traumatised 10 year old...

I always usually go running an writing letters etc to try get him back in the fold... I feel sorry for him still. It breaks my heart. Nobody would be checking up on him now he has cut contact with me again, he lives about 30 mins away from us.

OP posts:
Catza · 16/12/2024 16:46

From the outside it seems like an entirely one-sided relationship. I would be asking myself why he got so many free passes and what he learned from it. More importantly, what you learned from it.
You wouldn't tolerate this behaviour from your partner (I hope!) why do you tolerate it from your father?

Fishandchipsareyum · 16/12/2024 17:11

Catza · 16/12/2024 16:46

From the outside it seems like an entirely one-sided relationship. I would be asking myself why he got so many free passes and what he learned from it. More importantly, what you learned from it.
You wouldn't tolerate this behaviour from your partner (I hope!) why do you tolerate it from your father?

You are 100% correct. I feel sorry for him I guess. 😢

OP posts:
Anonymous2003 · 16/12/2024 17:24

It's easy for so many people on this website just to say 'they treat you badly, cut them off and forget they ever existed!'. But at the end of the day you're always going to love your parent. You're always going to want to fix them and be hurt when they don't want to change... because they're your PARENT. Not some acquaintance. Sorry I don't have any specific advice but I just wanna say my heart goes out to you, and you're not being unreasonable to worry. You're not some heartless person who can just switch off the compassion they have for a person who gave them life.

something2say · 16/12/2024 17:28

I think you have to do what you can, and accept what you can't.

The ten year old thing that is upsetting him - ignore that, don't respond.

The risk of him living alone - you can do something about that, you can ring him, you can make welfare check visits, you can ring adult services or the police or his GP.

Try to accept who he is - you didn't get a good deal with parents (neither did I) but try to accept it and move within the constraints you have.

Justsayit123 · 16/12/2024 17:30

Yabu for expecting more as you’ll never get it. He doesn’t deserve you. You don’t need to step up for him. What’s he done for you.

Fishandchipsareyum · 16/12/2024 18:06

Anonymous2003 · 16/12/2024 17:24

It's easy for so many people on this website just to say 'they treat you badly, cut them off and forget they ever existed!'. But at the end of the day you're always going to love your parent. You're always going to want to fix them and be hurt when they don't want to change... because they're your PARENT. Not some acquaintance. Sorry I don't have any specific advice but I just wanna say my heart goes out to you, and you're not being unreasonable to worry. You're not some heartless person who can just switch off the compassion they have for a person who gave them life.

Thank you. Appreciate the understanding.

OP posts:
Fishandchipsareyum · 16/12/2024 18:07

something2say · 16/12/2024 17:28

I think you have to do what you can, and accept what you can't.

The ten year old thing that is upsetting him - ignore that, don't respond.

The risk of him living alone - you can do something about that, you can ring him, you can make welfare check visits, you can ring adult services or the police or his GP.

Try to accept who he is - you didn't get a good deal with parents (neither did I) but try to accept it and move within the constraints you have.

Thank you this is the advice I was hoping to get. I will make sure to do those things when /if needed.

OP posts:
Fishandchipsareyum · 17/12/2024 15:07

so he has just told me he has to have eye injections for his damaged diabetic eyes and that they begin in 6 weeks, and that he doesn't want see us and that he isn't having Christmas, and its bad, I am so sad for him! What a mess.

He also said his downfall is basically all on me, for choosing mum when I was 10... and traumatised. He must be having a mental breakdown, its really odd!

so he has put me, his next of kin, in this horrible position of wondering what state he is in with no family or anything around him. How awful. Guess I got to continue to work on trying to cope with this.

OP posts:
something2say · 17/12/2024 19:37

Be careful tho, he seems to be deliberately trying to hurt you with this. Your choice was not his downfall. What is he on about?!

I think some self care and boundaries are in order here. He doesn't want Christmas fine. No calls, leave him be, respect what he says. He doesn't want to see anyone, fine, his choice.

You can't want more for people than they want themselves, that's what they used to say to me at work....xxx

Fishandchipsareyum · 17/12/2024 23:23

something2say · 17/12/2024 19:37

Be careful tho, he seems to be deliberately trying to hurt you with this. Your choice was not his downfall. What is he on about?!

I think some self care and boundaries are in order here. He doesn't want Christmas fine. No calls, leave him be, respect what he says. He doesn't want to see anyone, fine, his choice.

You can't want more for people than they want themselves, that's what they used to say to me at work....xxx

This is all very true and really helpful, thank you. 😊

OP posts:
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