Yes. Criticised non-stop throughout childhood even though I was probably the most bookish, boring child on the planet. Hardly a hellraiser.
Same.
My mother called me “special” in an insulting manner constantly. Questioned why I didn’t go to more parties (didn’t like being around drunk people and found them annoying), why I wasn’t interested in boys (seeing female friendships fall apart over boys , having female friends become pregnant, and the immaturity I saw was more than enough reason not to want to date), always saying I would look better if I did xyz, would compliment my sister in front of me (because she looks so much like her) to get a reaction out of me, ignored the things I said and then say I didn’t say them or when I would tell her something and she would be wrong, she rarely would say sorry and if she did, it was half-arsed. Same woman got upset with me for having my first period while we were 2 hrs from home and her having to get something for me. I wasn’t exactly happy about having it in a public place either.
Goall at 11 was to concentrate on school so I could go to uni and escape her and my enabling father. I had great comments from teachers, won awards, one being the highest in the school and even that meant nothing.
If anyone praised my younger sister she would beam, if anyone praised me she would be “mmhmm yea.” She laughed and practically called it nonsense when my dad’s sister/my aunt said how proud she was of me and how they did such a great job raising me.
Moaned about my wedding dress because it wasn’t glam in her opinion (I’m not a glam girl and she doesn’t dress glam either, I like vintage things and love history which she rolls her eyes at). Couldn’t even say I looked nice on my wedding day, bare minimum I would think to say to your own daughter. Complained I remained slim after I had my first child, annoyed when I remained slim after my second, and resigned when I continued with my third.
I moved 4,000 miles away and didn’t look back. I see her in person once a year or once every two years. Do video chat once a week for the kids and leave it that.
She’s a way better grandmother than she ever was a mother to me.
Funny enough, her mother was the same to her older half-sister like she is to me and she is low-key in sibling rivalry with her. My aunt moved 12 hours drive from their mother and stayed there. My mother would say my aunt and I are quite similar because we were both more about books than boys and claim I was my aunt’s child. My mother was a popular girl who peaked in secondary.