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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

You cannot communicate with batshit

562 replies

Pingpang · 27/05/2016 22:23

Following on from a recent thread regarding those who are NC/LC with family members.

Welcome to the good ship Narcymcnarcface! The bar is stocked and there's a seat for everyone. Shuffleboard starts in 20 mins.

OP posts:
SeaEagleFeather · 05/07/2016 18:37

She's 5, to her when Grandma is interested and buys her sweets or invites her for tea she thinks she's the best ever, then gets upset when she goes silent

The hot-and-cold treatment towards a 5 yo?

Pretty low.

I would (and have) made the choice to explain that we love Grandpa but that people shouldn't behave in a way that upsets others all the time. If they do, they're being mean and we have to just step back until they're willing to behave better.

Playing games that affect your daughter like this is damaging for her. You're stuck in a very hard place if you want to keep contact with your Dad and bro, but I think you're best off warily keeping some distance. If the silence goes on too long, contact her - but on your terms. Try to step back emotionally from her (easier said than done but it helps). Try if you can not to fall into the trap of feeling pressured and guilty. Also, don't share personal information with her. She doesn't love you unconditionally, she's manipulating you by withdrawing love and she's indifferent to the fact that it's hurting your daughter. I'm afraid your mother may have her nice sides, but her underlying character is less pleasant. She's trying hard to control you.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 06/07/2016 02:51

Buddy - I think your idea was a good one then, to write your parents phone number down and let your DD phone them herself. But try to get your DD to do it on speakerphone as well, so you can monitor what Grandma is saying to her - even if she's being all sweetness and light to your DD, there may be some snidey comments in there about "nasty mean Mummy" which you need to know about so you can deflect any potential "divide and conquer" bollocks.

Difficult situation for you - hope you can hang out for the next few years until you can move! ThanksWine

SeaEagleFeather · 06/07/2016 06:51

I think there's some danger that as her daughter gets older, she might end up going to visit and staying without supervision and then the poison will come out more strongly. It isn't normal to cut off your daughter for weeks at a time for such small things, it really isn't, and I'm not at all sure the Grandma can be trusted to know what is healthy behaviour and what isn't.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 06/07/2016 07:31

Buddy

re your comment:-

"sorry I didn't explain very well but she so far has never been openly toxic like that to dd, in a way I wish she was because I'd then have no hesitation in cutting all contact. If dd called her she'd happily chat to her and act normal, it's me she hates! She gushes over dd but only when it suits her selfish ways to engage, the rest of the time she is either ignoring us with her controlling silent periods, or is playing the victim all woe to is me, nobody loves me apart from my granddaughter. She's 5, to her when Grandma is interested and buys her sweets or invites her for tea she thinks she's the best ever, then gets upset when she goes silent"

Going hot and cold on a 5 year old is a low blow. You would not have tolerated any of that from a friend either, your mother is no different. Your mother is actively trying to buy your DDs affections and your dad enables his wife in these behaviours.

Your mother still hates you but what's tripping you up now is the narcissist's ways of adapting to changing circumstances i.e. you now have a family of your own.They know they don't have the same power and control they used to so they usually switch to sneakier methodologies. This allows you to think that they have changed from what they were when you were growing up.

Your mother has not fundamentally altered; she is simply now using more sneaky methods and she will continue to use your DD to undermine you and your DH as parents.

Your mother is and will now use different methods. The NPD grandparent will use their grandchildren in the same way they would use an inanimate tool. Without regard for the humanity of your child, that child becomes a tool in the hand of your NPD parent to hurt you. This will always result in moral and/or emotional harm being done to your child as well.

The actual mechanics of how the NPD grandparent will misuse their relationship to their grandchildren will vary. Generally, they will either over-value or under-value the grandchild as a means to get to you. Often, when they over-value, it is the objective of the grandparent to steal the child from you. I mean that in both senses, physically and emotionally. Narcissistic grandparents are known for so much trash-talking against you behind your back to your own child or children that they want to go live with grandma or grandpa, or the Narcissistic grandparents simply inspire rebellion of the child against you. They steal the hearts of the grandchildren. Sometimes, they will battle for physical custody of a grandchild after their slander campaign against you has won them powerful allies. Many times they have a lot of extra cash to throw around since they are done raising a family. They may successfully exploit the natural selfishness of the child by using cash or toys to lure them.

And I still would not let your Dad off the hook here because he is simply acting out of self preservation and want of a quiet life. He has and continues to enable his wife's behaviours. In a straight fight he would choose her over you, such weak men often need women like your mother to also idolise. I would see if it is now possible for someone else to take her to school on the days you are unable to do this.

Re this comment also:-
"I also have a brother and want dd to have contact with her cousins, she adores them and is an an only child so I worry when me and dh are gone one day she'll need the only family she'll have left, I can't have any more children and I hate the thought of her losing touch with her cousins"

I think you need to look at the reasons behind that mindset a lot more closely. Your brother here is the golden child (itself a role not without price but he does not know that). What if her cousins are infact nasty people who want nothing to do with your DD going forward, they will go their own way and perhaps leave your DD behind particularly if they are a lot older. It will also need your brother's co-operation for his children to see your DD. She won't need her cousins as an adult, she will have friends and family of her own.

You will need to move and I would say sooner rather than later (certainly not in the year or two before she starts secondary school). You need to put physical distance as well as mental distance between you and these disordered people.

toomuchtooold · 06/07/2016 08:37

YY to everything Atilla says. And I think when they are nice to the grandkids, it's often a way of gaslighting their child - it's like, "look how kind a grandparent I am! I can't have been such a nasty parent as you think. Either you misremembered it or you must have been a really bad kid." Luckily you can often tell it's all bullshit because the nice act doesn't survive more than a couple of days - they're still essentially toddlers, they still need everyone around them to be managing their emotions for them and when there's small kids around that just doesn't happen. My mother used to manage maybe 2-3 days and then she would be getting sick of it so she'd manufacture an argument and leave in a huff.

toomuchtooold · 08/07/2016 06:20

Oh and btw screenshot if you're still reading this thread - we started watching series 3 of The Bridge and fuuuck the mother makes my blood turn to ice! I have an idea how I would like it to turn out there, but will watch it till the end before saying it...

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 08/07/2016 08:49

Toomuch - just had to tell you this - after I wrote about Georgette Heyer often including narc mothers in her books, I happened to start re-reading one of her detective novels, called "Behold, here's poison" and Bingo! Covert narc mother, and actually one of the main players in the book. I had a small chuckle to myself about the timing.

Fuzzywuzzywasabear · 28/08/2016 00:00

Evening all,

Thread has gone a bit quiet but I thought I'd pop in to say little fuzzy arrived last week, completely perfect Grin

Champagne on the top deck for everyone!

DH rang DM to tell her, she told him she's always there if we want to call and talk to her. DH pointed out that she might like to call me to see how I'm, she said she didn't think it was a good idea to call me as I'd just given birth?! Hmm

Her loss! I'm going to concentrate on being the best mummy in the world to my little one Grin

Thinkingblonde · 28/08/2016 08:30

Congratulations on the birth of little Fuzzy, you do exactly that, concentrate on your little one. Flowers

M0rven · 28/08/2016 08:38

Wonderful news, congratulations !

I hope Dh is looking after you both .

Hissy · 28/08/2016 08:55

Huge congratulations fuzzy!

SeaEagleFeather · 28/08/2016 21:49

Big grats fuzzy! :)

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