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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

I find it hard to trust people,.... whats wrong with me, just want to be normal.

17 replies

PugStaffyCross · 20/07/2013 14:06

I find it hard to trust people I meet, I know I have low self esteem and put on a brave face to the world but inside I am crying. I want things to be different for me but how I don't know. I am now 42 years old approaching 43 fast.. I feel the need to talk about my life, its a long story.
I have one brother who is 4 years older than me, our father was agressive, we were beaten with the buckle end of his leather belt on our bare bum if we were naughty, or got our heads banged together. He used to push our faces into our food if we didnt eat and was so moody. I think he must have had depression of some kind. My mother just said nothing. We were a well off family and everyone assumed it was all great behind closed door. My dad also sexually abused me on occasions, I was very small at the time, although he used to "snog me" as he called it when I was 11. We were packed off to boarding school at 11 in yorkshire and I hardy saw my parents, they were holidaying alot, my lovely grandparents used to write and visit me. I never fitted in at school, was bullied left out and accused of anything that was going on. I tried hard at school but was always without friends. I spent a lot of time sat under the staircase readig books while the other girls were having birthday parties and giggling together. When I was 15 there was a spate of theft in the dormitories, money going missing out of drawers etc - one of the girls said it was me (it wasnt) and I was sent to live in the sickbay for the rest of my school life with the matron. No one spoke to me after that and I still dwell on it all these years later...
After leaving school my father had an affair and left my mother, she relied on my for emotional support. Even though she was very well off she used to make me wear her old clothes and shoes at 16 and so when I started college to do A levels I got the piss taken out of me and started hanging around with the people who took me for who I was, I used to bunk off and sit and drink cider in the bus stop... my mother was too involved in her coffee mornings to notice.
When my grandma had a heart attack my mum went up to see her (yorkshire and I was in london) and my dad came to look after me with his new wife (who was 20 years younger than him), he found me an annoyance as I was "in the way" he said and gave me £ 50 and told me to come back the next morning, I was 16. I went to see a guy friend and ended up sleeping with him and liked the attention and so became very promiscious, slept with anyone as it was good to be noticed. I moved out and got a full time job in a pub and lived in a shitty room which stank. Met a guy I will call him A and got pregnant at 19..A became violent and used to beat me if I didnt give him my benefit money, he got into drugs and changed..my mum not interested as she had just met a new man and she was ashamed of me. I lived with A as had nothing and nowhere to go... things got worse as he owed money to drug dealers....... a dealer came to our flat, saw me and said "if you let me shag her I will let you off the money", A beat the crap out of me and said he would harm DS1 if I didnt and so I had to sleep with this guy.. this was it then if he wanted drugs I was the payment, this went on for a year.
I took my son eventually and was put in a refuge. I was housed miles away and met a man who was just wonderful to me, my DS1 was then 2 and we got married and lived in army quarters as he was a soldier. Had a very happy life with him but 3 years later he was killed in a motorbike accident at 25. The army helped to house me and I was alone, it was the worst time of my life. I met a man 2 years later when DS1 was 8, he was a great guy and we got married. We had ds2 who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 6 months old, it was so hard to deal with but I kept positive. MY dh couldnt cope with it, had an affair and we split up. So I was on my own again. Met another man a year later, he appeared charming and perfect. I moved in with him and got pregnant with dd. He was a secret drinker and became agressive and verbally abusive to me and my DC. One night he was drunk, beat me up, threw me out in the garden in my nightie and locked the doors. I was so ashamed, I rang the police who broke the door down to get my kids and I was again housed in a refuge with the kids. I found out I was pregnant and really struggled to know what to do and had a termination which I still feel guilty about.
I stayed on my own for a while until I met a guy who had 3 kids and appeared to be lovely. I eventually moved in and it became clear he was lazy and spent all his time away from work obsessed with computor games. I was the mother of 6, did all the cleaning, cooking and held down a full time job. I had a breakdown as it was all too much and he literally threw me out.
I was housed by the housing association into a nice house, adapted for my disabled son. My DS1 had by now left home and joined the army and he is doing well and is a lovely lad, has a great sense of humour and as I shielded him from the bad things he is very confident. A year later I was approached by a lady at school to ask if I would be interested in writing to soldiers in Afghanistan who had no families. I agreed and began writing to a man who wrote back, we started emailing and chatting on MSN dily for 5 months and became really close. He looked great in his photo and we got on so well, decided to meet up. Out of the blue he then told me an ex girlfriend had contacted him and he just stopped writing to me. I was gutted but just got on with it. I got into university and trained as a nurse, for someone who has achieved nothing in there life this is a really big deal to me.
I forgot all about this man until a few months later he emailed me and said he was sorry, that he was at the time going through a divorce and wasnt ready for a relationship but wanted to meet me and thank me for the 5 months of support. I agreed and we met, he asked me to marry him 3 weeks later and we have now been married for 2.5 years. He has adopted my dd and we have bought a nice house, he works hard in the army and is lovely to me. The only problem is we dont have sex. I have issues I think from my father and he has issues from his ex wife who was a nasty piece of work. We get along so well but to me I am always waiting for something to go wrong. I still feel people hate me and dont like me. I am a couple of stone overwieght and have massive issues about this.
My dc's are great. Ds1 is a happy 23 year old. Ds1 is now 16 and can walk with a stick, he is very clever and studies hard. he finds life a challenge but there is nothing he cant do and I am always there behind him with support. DD2 is off to senior school next term and won an county award for citizenship for coming with me and volunteering at the old age centre where she reads the elderly. She is just great.
I am not great, I am the scum of the earth inside, I feel I should be locked away somewhere as I am a pathetic excuse for a human being. I have thought many times of killing myself, but who would miss me, have been treated for depression for the last 20 years.
I am due to start my very first qualified nurse job in a few weeks and now feel that I have no place being a nurse. I feel like a failure and just want to be normal. I know no one will like me and I will fuck it all up when they find out how disgusting I am inside.

Sorry this post is so long, I just wanted to get it all off my chest and thank you for listening, x

OP posts:
Vivacia · 20/07/2013 14:24

Un-MNy hugs to you. Reading your story, I didn't get the same impression of you as you describe at the end. I just see al of the evidence for a Survivor, an intelligent woman who has succeeded against the odds, an intelligent professional and a good mother.

Someone was told me that we did what we needed to do in order to survive. That doesn't mean we can't have different beliefs and behaviours now though. Would you consider counselling?

PugStaffyCross · 20/07/2013 14:31

Vivacia I have had lots of councelling over the years but am afraid to tell them the whole truth as I am ashamed. I feel ashamed that I have allowed myself into the distructive relationships I had. x

OP posts:
Vivacia · 20/07/2013 14:37

Shame is a dreadful thing to live with. I wish I could offer more support Pug.

Vivacia · 20/07/2013 14:38

Can you see these relationships as choices you made to survive?

PugStaffyCross · 20/07/2013 14:41

Yes, in a way. It just seems like my life has been one long slog.. I see others with easy life and think why me? I cant change the past but cant seem to deal with it either.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 20/07/2013 14:42

You haven't allowed yourself into these dreadful situations by the look of it. Your intentions seem to have been good all the way through your story and your biggest problem has been 'sheer bad luck'. Things way beyond your control like sudden bereavement, abusive partners and appalling parents. You didn't choose any of that so you can't be ashamed of it.

I also admire what you've achieved and your DCs sound like they've had the best mother anyone could wish for. I think you'll make an excellent nurse because you will have time and compassion for patients.

Have you ever seen the film 'It's A Wonderful Life'? The main character decides his life isn't worth living and he's shown how the world would look if he hadn't been born. Sometimes I think there are people - and I'd include yourself - that don't appreciate what a positive impact they've had on others, even if it's been at a huge personal sacrifice.

I'd also suggest you seek counselling or even just call the Samaritans. You've been really courageous to open up to random strangers on Mumsnet and maybe you could keep the ball rolling....?

Vivacia · 20/07/2013 14:43

You've had a lot to deal with! I wouldn't be too quick to assess others' deal in life. You can never be sure what they've had to deal with or how well they've dealt with it inside.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 20/07/2013 14:49

"I see others with easy life and think why me?"

I agree with Vivacia. In fact, I'd go further and say that others are probably looking at and thinking 'wow, she's a really together person with a great life'.

PugStaffyCross · 20/07/2013 15:18

CogitoErgoSometimes, I get fed up with keeping it all bottled up inside, It has been easier to open up to strangers today who dont know me as I know they wont see me in real life and think badly of me. I wish I could erase all the bad memories from my head. I do try and help others, as much as I can but I seem to get shit on alot of the time and taken for granted. I guess I help others out to feel a sense of pupose. Thank you for your support. I really thought people would think badly of me.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 20/07/2013 15:44

You can't erase bad memories. However, you can with help choose how you live with those memories. In fact, I think you're already successfully doing that in some regards. For example, it's very clear that you have positively used the memory of your upbringing to decide that you are not going to treat your children the same way. The memory is still there but it's spurred you on to be a better parent than yours ever were.

Do you see what I mean?

Now as for getting shit on and being taken for granted. That's because you're a kind person that takes a chance and makes themselves vulnerable by helping others. That is such a positive character trait, I can't begin to describe. So many would just not take a risk, not put themselves out there in the first place. All it would take to be able to help others and not get shit on would be ... the common thread of self-esteem ... understanding that it's OK to say 'no' or 'enough' and put your own needs first.

I'm not medically qualified but, going on the strength of your story and the horrors you've experiences along the way, I think you almost certainly have some aspects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. To still be in one (albeit shaky!) piece after all of that you must be an incredible strong person. I'm certain that a skilled counsellor could really help you.

MadameBlavatsky · 20/07/2013 15:48

Having read what you have been through I think you are amazing. You have done nothing wrong and need to start giving yourself some of the love that you give others. You have survived events that are devastating individually and you have overcome them all.

Your kids sound a credit to you and you need to find ways of seeing yourself through their eyes. You have achieved so much to be proud of. Now is a good time to start focusing on helping yourself to heal. Be very gentle with yourself and look at building your self esteem. The way you talk to yourself matters. Speak to yourself as you would a dear and loved friend. Others have hurt you and that was their fault and responsibility, not yours.

PugStaffyCross · 20/07/2013 15:57

I have never thought of PTSD, I will investigate that x

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 20/07/2013 16:39

Please do. You sound like someone who is long overdue some kindness and some peace of mind. Good luck

HongkongDreamer · 20/07/2013 16:57

You have obv been through a hell of alot so its understandable to be feeling like you do. Why dont u go and speak to ur GP and explain how you are feeling, you may be able to get counseling which could help you to move on and improve your confidence and self esteem. As for the nursing side of things it sounds like you will be a fantastic nurse, u have been through an awful lot which will have given you the ablility to relate and emphasis with patients. In your post you wrote about how you wrote and provided emotional supported for a solider, providing support to patients is half the battle and it sounds like you are a very caring person. You have achieved so much, its hard to move on from things in the past but dont let things that have happened stop you from living the rest of your life to the full.

chocolatecakeystuff · 20/07/2013 17:25

How can you say you're scum? Look at what you've achieved!

Have a little faith in yourself, you've done so well. Just because you're lifes been tough, and hasn't turned out how you planned it doesn't make you a failure. You sound like an incredibly strong woman and should be emencly proud

toomanyfionas · 20/07/2013 20:43

I think it is your sense of shame that is keeping you low and I think long-term counselling could be very helpful.

You don't have to rake over past issues, you can talk about your week and how you're feeling. Working through daily things is a gret way to move forward. You are the sum total of your past so how you cope on a daily basis is absolutely relevant. As you reflect on your daily struggles and are heard, for the first time in your life, your sense of shame will begin to fall away and you will start to feel better connected to others.

PugStaffyCross · 20/07/2013 22:37

Some good advice thanks x

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