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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

Need to overhaul my relationship with DC3....advice needed.

29 replies

ashamednamechanger · 01/01/2012 23:38

DC3 and me have always had a very 2- goats- butting- heads type of relationship.
After he was born I had bad PND so we have never really bonded. We just seem to rub each other up the wrong way all day long.
I try, I really do, but it always seems to evolve into shouting on both sides and him hitting me. I don't hit him of course, as I realise that he is just doing it out of frustration with me.
I want so much to form a closer bond with him, but have no idea how. I mean, you can't make yourself love someone, can you, although I wish you could.
If anyone has any ideas, no matter what it entails, please post.

It breaks my heart that I have a "different" relationship with him than I do with my other 2 DCs.

OP posts:
DashingRedhead · 04/01/2012 20:57

Ashamed, sorry to be so slow to answer your question. No, my friend never really did - I think because she didn't want to. She didn't have other DC and she just left it. I think the fact you want to change it is really important. That is the first step. Don't feel bad about counselling. I had it for six months to get over the worst of my PTSD after I nearly died of haemorrhage following a miscarriage. I still have flashbacks and bad moments after three and a half years but I'd never have made it without it.

The fact that it breaks your heart makes me think that you do love him really there's just lots of nasty clutter in the way that you need help removing.

busybusybust · 04/01/2012 21:51

OP you have my total sympathy. I had PND with my second. This was 30 years ago and PND was not really recognised. It was made worse by the fact that my (childless - but desperate for a baby) sis was living with us at the time. My eldest was very jealous, and, stupidly, I let sis look after baby girl, and I had elder one. (apart from breastfeeding that is). After sis left (when she was 5 months), and all became horrendous. and got worse and worse and worse. (not with the DCs, but for me personally). Eventually, a friend recognised the PND and I started to come out of it...... and up and up (hardest thing I ever did, getting out of PND on my own - like crawling up a mineshaft!)

She was very into FULL BLOWN tantrums! But I did realise that she was so out of control that she was frightening herself. On those occasions, I picked her up and forcibly cuddled and rocked her until her fighting, and then sobbing subsided. It worked!

But poor daughter - I still found her hard to cope with. Who knows? Maybe it was (is) her personality? Maybe it's all my fault (and my PND)? She continued to be very difficult throughout her childhood, and, more particularly her teenage years!

But we've fought and talked and fought and talked........... She is now 30, and absolutely lovely! She regularly rings me and I her and I just love talking to her, and, rather flatteringly, she regularly asks me for my for advice. She lives in New Zealand, and I often wonder if she stayed there (after her Gap Yearn12 years ago) to get away from me!

Ashamed I really DO understand how you are feeling, but please don't make my mistakes! I think (given my time over again) I would use 'positive discrimination' (ie make him your favourite) to compensate for my appalling lack of mothering skills with my daughter. I really suggest you do it with your son. Honestly, with children, you get out what you put in!!!

And you really don't want your son to be posting on 'Statley Homes' in 15 years' time - saying that he is the scapegoat, now do you?

ashamednamechanger · 04/01/2012 22:09

Thanks for all your uplifting and enlightening posts. I have arranged to see the HV tommorrow for a 'chat'. May seem small step but I think she wil have more experience of this than the GP.
Have noticed that Stately Homes thread but never looked at it....off there now to get some insight!

OP posts:
ChristmasIsGone · 05/01/2012 12:56

I do agree with making your son the 'favorite' but be careful as time goes on. There will be a point bwhere he won't need to the favorite as much and the other dcs might start to resent it. A very difficult balance.

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