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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

My mother! What the hell does she expect? Arrrrggghhhh (Sorry v. long post)

3 replies

Neen80 · 29/11/2011 11:55

I don't even know where to begin!

Suppose I should start from the first time this happened.
She split with my dad when I was 8 (im now 31) since then the only 'relationships' she's had is with married men. You know the story, they never leave the wife, she's upset, me and my brothers deal with the fall out.
She's suffered with bad depression since she was 14 years old and has been hospitalised for it when we were young. She's very bitter about alot of things and has very low self esteem.
Fast forward to 6 years ago, she started seeing another married man.
He's constantly lied to her, conned her out of alot of money resulting in her losing the family home. He eventually left his wife last year to move in with my mum, 2 weeks later my mum was at work when she recieved a phone call from a neighbour saying the police were at the house. She went home only for the police to tell her that he asked them to escort him out of the house for his own safety!!!! Turns out his wife found out where he was so instead of telling the truth he lied through his teeth (he hadn't told his wife he was leaving, just left without a word with no other contact so she reported him missing)
My mum was in bits. she's only 5ft and wouldn't hurt a fly!
Anyway she started seeing him again a few weeks later much to our disapproval.
One day we were sat in my house when he phoned, they were having a polite chat when he suddenly put the phone down. My mum said she had heard his teenage daughter pick up the phone and demand to know who he was speaking to. 2 hours later she phoned to say the ####### had phoned the police saying she had called him and had been harrassing him for 2 months. My mum then had to show them all the messages on her phone, valentines card etc and I spoke to them telling them they were in fact seeing each other again to prove she hadn't actually done anything wrong.
They warned him they would arrest him for wasting police time if he did this again.
This is only some of the things he has done, this is just the tip of the ice berg!
As you can imagine my mum went downhill rapidly, was seeing a psychiatrist, was almost hospitalised again a few months ago for severe depression. Its been hell for me and my brothers, we were worried sick and spent every moment we could with her. We often got together and broke down as we had seen this before years ago.

We found out last night that she is seeing this man again! Apparently he has left his wife.
We told her we would not go through this with her again, 6 years in long enough. We want a relationship with her as she's a lovely mum and grandmother but we told her he is not welcome in our home.
She has completely gone banana's on us saying we shouldn't be telling her what to do with her life and if she wants to see him she will and that while we're are at home with our partners at night she's at home alone.
I totally understand she's lonely, but she has been a nightmare to be around the last year or so, whenever he ##### her off she takes it out on us, we all end up arguing. Its awful, I don't think I've got it in me to do it all again with her. The trips to the psychiatrist, her screaming at me in the shop or talking of taking her own life etc... I just can't do it! My brothers feel exactly the same.

Even just thinking about what happened last time upsets me and im at a loss of what to do or say to her.
I can't even look at her right now.

Are we being selfish for feeling this way? Sometimes I feel like the mother!

OP posts:
BumptiousandBustly · 29/11/2011 12:26

I think you have to detach - now AND when he dumps all over her again. Otherwise she will continue to do it, and you will continue to have to deal with it. Sounds horrible, but you are NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR HER LIFE.

wheredidiputit · 29/11/2011 13:06

You and your brothers are not being selfish.

She right you don't have the right to tell who she can and can't see, but the flip side of that is she can't dictate that you have to be involved with them.

You need to make it clear that you will not be involved again and if she threaten to commit suicide then thats her choice do not be made to feel guilted into being involved.

Shmumty · 29/11/2011 13:14

If you would have dated someone who your mum didn't like when you were younger, what would you have done? Most people would have gone on seeing him and ignored everything their mum said. You say you sometimes feel like you are the mum and it seems like your mum is behaving like the daughter too...

Would it be possible to tell her calmly that you love her and you don't want to tell her what to do? Make it clear that it will take you a while before you accept him in your house, and you hope that she respects that. In the meantime she is still most welcome, on her own. When it all comes crashing down (and it sounds like it will), you will still have a relationship with your mum (and the kids will still have their grandmother).

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