Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

"But We Took You To Stately Homes!" - Survivors of Dysfunctional Families

994 replies

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 26/04/2014 13:39

Thread opener here: webaunty.co.uk/mumsnet/
You may need to right-click and 'unblock' it after downloading it.

It's almost May 2014, and the Stately Home is still open to visitors.

Forerunning threads:
December 2007
March 2008
August 2008
February 2009
May 2009
January 2010
April 2010
August 2010
March 2011
November 2011
January 2012
November 2012
January 2013
March 2013
August 2013
December 2013
February 2014

Please check later posts in this thread for links & quotes. The main thing is: "they did do it to you" - and you can recover.

OP posts:
Cleorapter · 02/05/2014 15:12

Congratulations meerka! Thanks

Hissy · 02/05/2014 16:23

Congrats Meerka! My DS was 3.88!

He's now 8.5 yo and ENORMOUS! :D

Will try and catch up with things on here a bit more and post.

shellistar · 02/05/2014 17:56

Thanks, I used the work trivial because others who posted have had a lot worse iykwim?

As for the Facebook thing... The beginning of the end of our relationship was because she posted about 12 totally nude sunrise beach photos in Facebook that she'd had taken to "commemorate" her fiftieth birthday. Every person, to her face of course, applauded her "bravery" and admired her. Of course behind her back they were disgusted and slagged her off at every opportunity. Bear in mind I'm actually heavier than her and I do think it's relevant, but she was around 20 stone in the pictures and I had an awful feeling that someone would create a horrible chain mail with the pictures on and I'd get it one day. I reported the photos and everyone was "oh poor you, they were so artistic" (they were anything but! Shot by my inept stepdad!)

I know that makes me sound like a total bitch but I was so ashamed that my own mother posted such awful pictures on Facebook for the word to see!

MillyMollyMandy78 · 02/05/2014 18:11

meerka - congratulations!!

Shell - that must've been awfully embarrassing seeing those photos of your mum! Not at all surprised you reported her!

pumpkinsweetie · 02/05/2014 18:26

Big Congratulations meerka Thanks Thanks Thanks

shellistar · 02/05/2014 18:41

Oh and Meerka congratations!!!

DizzyKipper · 02/05/2014 18:49

Woooooo congratulations Meerka Thanks

DizzyKipper · 02/05/2014 19:08

Got to say shell I would also find naked pictures of any of my family (or DH's) horrendous! I can understand why you reported them, I'd feel quite strongly that I needed to protect my mum from any backlash in the same situation. Plus it goes against the agreement of facebook usage doesn't it? If people want to post naked photos of themselves they should find appropriate places to do it where it's allowed.

Meerka · 02/05/2014 19:49

Thank you very much :))

exhausted, delighted and man am I relieved. Will catch up when I can!

DizzyKipper · 02/05/2014 19:55

There's no need to rush, the thread will keep, enjoy the time with your son Smile

Who else was pregnant here? I know there was someone due in about 2 months, and I'm due in 4. Seems like we're nicely set up for a nice steady stream of baby updates.

nearlyreadyforstatelyhomes · 02/05/2014 21:53

Congrats meerka! I remember you from the sickness threads.. I always forget there's an actual baby at the end of this pregnancy malarkey!

I'm due in July..

TalkingintheDark · 02/05/2014 22:20

Congratulations Meerka Smile

nearlyreadyforstatelyhomes · 03/05/2014 15:38

Had a panicky email from DSSis asking if I knew what was going on but haven't had the chance to speak to her yet...

Saw DBro today and asked if he'd spoken to DM and he said he hadn't at all this week, but she had texted his gf again saying they (ie dm and dsdad) were going to counselling etc. Why on earth would she tell my brother's gf and not my brother. This makes me really cross. Absolutely no need to communicate with him via her. I'm really embarrassed - what must gf think ffs.

Ugh. I'm off to buy doughnuts. Amazing how doughnuts can make everything seem better.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 03/05/2014 16:57

Your mother probably thinks she can get more narcissistic supply in terms of sympathy from her than your brother (who likely knows also all too well what his mother is like).

Hope you bought some nice doughnuts - if not Krispy Kreme then the ones from Sainsburys (particularly the jam ones) are the bees knees!.

Appletini · 03/05/2014 17:28

Sorry haven't caught up on thread but congrats Meerka!

Appletini · 03/05/2014 17:46

Right, have actually read some posts now...

AndTheBandPlayedOn it's so frustrating realising people won't change. I think it can be helpful to take the emotion out of this and see it as a practical issue and not a decision they've made, if that makes sense?

shellistar that's not trivial. Far from it - it sounds very painful and difficult. I honestly think there's no purpose in comparison really, if you had a bad time it doesn't make a difference if someone else had what you or they judge to be a worse time as that won't change the fact that you're hurting and in pain and your feelings are valid. If I break my leg, it won't hurt less just because someone else has a heart attack, and who's to say which hurts more?

Personally I've found it very upsetting realising that, as a kid, I was treated like I just didn't matter enough, or at all. That's not a trivial thing.

GoodtoBetter · 03/05/2014 21:37

Congratulations Meerka !!!!!!

SnowCoveredHills · 04/05/2014 11:02

Meerka congratulations, hope you're settling in well. Well done xx

Dirtypaws · 04/05/2014 11:48

Can anyone tell me why? I just feel so angry. Is it shit childhood=crappy fucking life? I'm 45 and I've never been happy. It's not fair or is it my fault for allowing it to happen?

Dirtypaws · 04/05/2014 11:49

Do I need to go back on the anti depressants?

Cleorapter · 04/05/2014 12:00

Dirtypaws, I truely do empathise with how you feel, but I don't think it necessarily has to be a prison sentence to a miserable life. We just have to find a way to heal. Have you had councilling? Meds are well and good but they never really fix the core problem.

It's not your fault, you've had it ingrained into you at a young age that you don't deserve to be happy, but you do! And you can be!

Cleorapter · 04/05/2014 12:18

I've been NC with my narc mother for 2 months now, and due to the fact my father and brothers live with her I've had no contact from them either, until yesterday.

My youngest DB asked for my DP to give him a haircut and came round. It was nice to see him. But of course at the end he said 'so are you going to start speaking to mum and dad again?' I wanted to scream. She uses them all as puppets and it really gets to me. I explained to him why I wasn't intending to speak to her, she lies, she's verbally and emotionally abusive, she's toxic, and told him once he's out of that house and lives a normal life he will realise just how not normal living like that it. He asked me not to say that we had that conversation, and genuinely looked petrified. DP even commented on how scared he looked when he asked.

It's crazy that this tiny woman has terrorised her entire family so much they're literally scared of her.

I feel like I'm coming out of the FOG somewhat. The times where I feel guilty are few and far between, and it's very easy to justify my actions when I remember the horrendous things she has done to me.

When I was 15, I texted a friend about sex, we were talking about what it would be like etc. and my mother, who used to go through my things on a regular occurrence, read them, screamed at me, called me a whore, slut, slag, little prostitute, and physically attacked me, this time my dad got involved and punched me in the stomach. I was 15, it was perfectly normal to be thinking about sex at that age. I hadn't done anything, just talked. I think I was grounded for months and had everything taken out of my bedroom after that, all I had to wear was my school uniform and one pair of knickers. She was determined to make me as ugly as possible.

I remember the time she accused me of pulling the plug out of her bath and letting the water run out, I didn't. She called me liar,stripped me of all my clothes and hit me with a belt until my body was covered in welts. I had to go to school and try to hide them. I wish the teachers would have seen them now. Maybe the abuse would have stopped.

She also accused me of stealing money from my dad's piggy box saying my daughter had told her I did it (my daughter was 4 at the time) I didn't do it, it was later discovered it was my brother. But it was brushed over. I got days and days of abusive text messages and phone calls calling me every name under the sun.

That, and so much more, I can't forgive her for. Or my enabler father for stopping it.

Sorry,it just feels better to get this out. I know it doesn't make pleasant reading...

GoodtoBetter · 04/05/2014 15:32

Have you had any counselling Dirtypaws? I get quite ragey with my DM and she's not textbook abusive, i.e not physically, more just emotionally fucked up.
Cleorapter well done for going NC, your childhood sounds really difficult. Hopefully in time your siblings will see it too.
Well, I saw DM today and it was OK...but by God she does a fine line in passive aggressive crap. Mentioned we were going away to DB's flat on Weds to Sun and she does pouty face and says that she won't see DD now until after her birthday and what I am I going to get DD from her? (She wants me to buy DD a present and she'll pay for it) I said, I don't know, I have to go and have a look at Toys R Us and work it out as I have to do the same for PILs and buy her something from us too. More pouting. This is cos DD's birthday's 2 days after hers so she's twigged we won't see her on Sun as usual and which is the day before her birthday.
Then, she's got a bit of exczema on her face and wants to stay out of the sun, so I pointed out a bench in the shade and she started walking over to it. I hesistated and she said "Aren't you coming? Or do you want me to sit on my own?" I mean, FFS.
But, I am managing to let most of it not bother me too much, I think the session I had last week has helped a little bit. Going next wednesday too.
Sorry, that was all very trivial. (bit rattled by that other thread)

AndTheBandPlayedOn · 04/05/2014 20:26

Thanks Apple. The thing is...And maybe my life is one continuous exercise in irony...the effects of her treatment contributed greatly to my emotional numbness. So to detach emotionally as part of an operational solution...just seems soooo similar to where I started from, iyswim, that I am left with a wtf feeling of "you gotta be kiddin' me" (you in general, not you, Apple).

But I do know that having done the work of discovery, educated myself on the dynamics and the how/why it is abuse, and to make the changes to protect myself from her, etc, that I am certainly well beyond the starting quality of numbness. Perhaps now, it would be better to think of it in different terms. Instead of it being her decision to treat me badly, choosing to never change, continuous denial that she could be at fault...those are all things that make up who she is. And who she is...is someone that I am severely allergic to. That is pragmatic and side steps the obligation and guiltin a handy manner. Smile

nearlyreadyforstatelyhomes · 04/05/2014 20:39

GTB I find it so hard not to pick up on the 'trivial' things too. It's so hard as you end up feeling like you're being petty but the sum of all parts and all that...

I caught up with some other family members today who told me their sides of stories that DM had told me, and by all accounts she's made them out to be far more dramatic/offensive/outrageous than the other person did. I don't know what to make of that. I know she was trying to me to be the narc supply and sympathise with her and see it from her point of view so took most of it with a pinch if salt but I'm still surprised at how her view is totally different. And I feel desperately sad for her too. So much irony in that I know she wants acceptance and affection but her actions are actually resulting in the polar opposite. I just don't get why.

Saw DSDad today. He looked worn down but ok. Said he really hopes counselling works which i think was a genuine, I just hope DM can be as open minded and hopeful too rather than playing the victim