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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

How to call out a bully?

50 replies

lolaflores · 06/04/2018 16:08

Or is there any point?
My youngest sister has conducted a bullying campaign down the years against which I have done little to push back against as it often seemed that no one supported me.
Once, my other sister mentioned she thought there had been bullying going on but that has been about the height of the acknolwedgent of it within my family.
Recently, she has been actively excluding me and my children from events, to such a degree that to ignore it would seem insane on my part ie. don't say anything, act like nothing happned because it is so explicit.
HOwever, I know that by going NC, she is going to go bananas at some point and see my silence as provocation.
In the not too distant future, the lid is going to blow on this and I know things will be twisted into my fault, something I have done....though I cannot work out quite what I have done.
Whilst this head of steam is being developed elsewhere, how can I avoid being the sacraficial victim at the end of the day.
This has all happened before, I don't want the same outcome as previously. I am sick of this. It has ruined my mental health, it is impacting on my marriage, my sanity, my perception of reality. I feel sick waiting for the phone call that will prompt WWIII.
Any suggestions gratefully accepted.

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rocketgirl22 · 06/04/2018 18:28

mawi that is awful. Did your dc feel sad because you were their mother, and had you been someone else they would have had more contact with their family? Inadvertently blaming you by default? God that is so messed up.
That must have been shockingly painful for you. Horrendous.

Happygolucky009 · 06/04/2018 18:30

You need to go lc/nc with your sister, there's obviously a back story and you might not even know what that is. I have a strained relationship with my sister and we are no contact, life sadly is less dramatic and less stressful. But I only ever confronted my sister once over her beviour and it resulted in a massive fallout. The difficulty I have is if I do something I am accused of bullying, I do nothing I am passive aggressive and going lc I am accused of gaslighting. My family have turned against me to a certain degree, but slowly they realise that things are not as clear as portrayed as presented.

rocketgirl22 · 06/04/2018 18:31

Your girls will notice though, they will see it, and maybe they will become like mine and become furious! Or maybe they will blame you as well? Or some other reaction, but it WILL hurt them too.

They are being rejected as well.

It will eventually be humiliating for them to see social media photos of their family but not them, they will start to ask questions, demand answers.

That is when the shit really hits the fan.

In my case my girls wanted zero contact and made the decision for all of us.

mawi · 06/04/2018 18:32

Oh I know. Sure I am evil for daring to suggest that there was anything other than unconditional love in my family. But my husband and my best friend could see very clearly what was happening and when I told them that I was done they were delighted for me because they could see the hurt and the pain I had gone through for years.
Once you see it so clearly, you can’t unsee it.
Do it for your girls, they deserve a happy Mum.

Qwertyuiopy · 06/04/2018 18:34

My dad died when I was 10, all went pear shaped from there. Best thing I ever did was cuf them all off and start again. 10 years later and I am in touch with one sibling and email another back if she contacts me (twice in those 10 years). Won’t initiate contact with the latter because she joined in with the bullies.

lolaflores · 06/04/2018 18:35

Happygolucky its the same here. If I do or say nothing then I am being PA. If I do say something then I am either stirring the pot or mad. As I am bipolar, the mad tag kinda sticks fairly easily.
As for the kids blaming you? Well, if they have seen you be blamed for everything, then it isn't a hard leap to blame you for how they are treated. That is how this goes.

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rocketgirl22 · 06/04/2018 18:36

That is true, when you see it you can't unsee it.

Then you begin to see the years and years of unseen things that you were too young/trusting/naive to see before. Then you reflect why it was ever okay for them to hurt you like they have, and just as night becomes day you can't tolerate it anymore, not another nanosecond

I also became much more careful about all people in my life, and not just anyone is allowed in my life anymore just because they happen to be there.

lolaflores · 06/04/2018 18:39

Mawi...exactly how it is here. We are the perfect, loving family. Nothing but sunshine and blue birds round our house and anyone suggesting otherwise is an attention seeking, ungrateful bitch who isn't any better than she should be.
My mother joins in. My other sister joins in. My brother is somewhere out in the world but he terrorized us as children and my mother did nothing to stop him.
I dont trust them or feel comfortable around them and I am done with pretending we are all brilliant friends and like each other as we obviously don't

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Glug44 · 06/04/2018 18:40

Just kick off on Whatsapp. Tell them clearly what’s wrong, citing examples, and then cut them all off and mean it. They should not get to scapegoat you any more.

lolaflores · 06/04/2018 18:43

rocketgirl22 it must be an age thing because i feel more likely to go NC now as I do not feel obliged anymore to tolerate people as I might have in previous years.

At 50, I feel that there is no point in having relationships with people that are not healthy. It doesn't matter who they are anymore and the process of disengaging will not be very easy but it might be simpler than I imagined it might be.

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rocketgirl22 · 06/04/2018 18:50

lola

By disengaging to whatever degree you feel comfortable with, you will be saying to yourself, your dh and your lovely girls that you are worthy of respect and of love. You will be a great example to your dc that this is not an acceptable way to live.

I choose the no drama route. I felt that they would 'live off' any fallout for years and spend years dissecting how awful i was to 'ruin everything' so I simply scaled back everything to nothing. No big statements, no arguments.
I was honest when my mother asked why she no longer saw us, why we had chosen (as a family) to not see them anymore. I still send presents and cards but have no contact apart from that. I told them that I was tired of being hurt, that i still cared for them but could not do it any longer.

I have found special occasions hard, but it is getting easier. My dc deserve to be treated with respect, I deserve to be treated with respect.
The buck stops here.

lolaflores · 06/04/2018 19:51

Rocketgirl22 it would be part of my sisters script too if I was do an enormous exit. Everything is oxygen to the mind set so as you say, scale down as gently as possible. I get the feeling she will come looking for a showdown but it will have to be side stepped somehow.
Recently I have come to dread special occasions as they have all felt like a pony show so it will be nice to have things to ourselves and not trot out the usual bullshit.
Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it. It doesn't feel like I am just imagining it anymore.

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Bumshkawahwah · 06/04/2018 20:52

OP, that is all so hurtful, I really feel for you. I wish I had something useful to add. Can you imagine treating your children in this way? Madness!

What does your DP say about it all?

lolaflores · 06/04/2018 23:02

My DP has been watching this shit show for 18 years now. He despises my sister and would support me 100%. Though isn't keen on a complete NC for the kids, because of his own family background so we agree on low key birthday gifts etc.

He is another person who knows exactly what they have done over the years and never bought the glossy photo version of family my sister liked to portray. And he says for the sake of my sanity, I have to step away.

It's like breaking up with your family. Handing the keys back and leaving whilst not attracting too much attention that could provoke another attack.

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RunRabbitRunRabbit · 06/04/2018 23:21

In my experience, there is only way to avoid the MH effects of the backlash and them making you out to be the meanie and them the victim.

Be absent. Be nowhere near it. Don't find out what's being said. Stop people dead if they start trying to tell you anything about the drama. Give no fucks at all. Their behaviour shows they give no fucks about you. Let them rant in their little crazy box. Pay no attention.

lolaflores · 07/04/2018 00:22

The replies from everyone have felt like a soothing balm for my head. The loop of hurt, anger and confusion has been disrupted and I have a clear view from outside the situation.
Stopping the train of painful thoughts long enough to formulate an action plan has had a restful effect on my state of mind. Rather than question myself as to what I have done wrong and how I should make up for whatever unknown crime I have committed, I am happy to say that I can live without the mind games anymore.
I am not mad. O have not imagined it. I do not deserve it.

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AllNamesTakenhell · 07/04/2018 11:27

They sound awful. Why not leave the watsapp group and go nc with them. Block them and let them have their drana while you ignore it? Do you live nearby? Can you move?

RunRabbitRunRabbit · 07/04/2018 11:44

Step away from the crazy. It is lovely being away from it. Like a warm breeze on a summer's day.

lolaflores · 07/04/2018 14:28

Thank you Run. I am in the early stages of working out the logistics of NC.
Allnamestaken, we have lived abroad for 4 years and TBH, things weren't much better. I invited my mother to come and visit and she stated there was nothing of interest to her where we were...so I kinda left that at that.
While we were there and according to them the following happened: we didn;t come home often enough,
we shouldn't come home,
why didn't we come home,
we miss you,
we don't miss you,
you're a fat american now,
you won't want to live in London again, you'll hate it
how can you live in that place....and on and on and on...i could move to fucking Mars and it would make 0 difference. Silence is probably the most effective way forwards.
My daughter says she wants to see her cousins over the school hols. I am trying to work around that and see if there is a mid way to go with it all that means she doesn't miss out on her cousins. Might be tricky. It could be done with the minimum amount of contact, perhpas.

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Cleavergreene · 07/04/2018 14:59

There are several courses of action you can take. One of them is to respond in kind....next time you host a family event, don’t invite your sister.

lolaflores · 07/04/2018 16:51

Ohhhh. Cleaver that is good. Not much she could say in response to it given the history. Just have to suck it up.

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Dozer · 07/04/2018 16:53

Sorry your family have treated you this way for so long. You might get some good advice - and reading material - from the Stately Homes threads in relationships.

lolaflores · 07/04/2018 17:58

Thanks Dozer. I'll give it a visit.

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AllNamesTakenhell · 07/04/2018 18:42

Your mum sounds like a horror too. I ferl for you. Stately homes may well help or at least ring a lot of bells

CornforthWhite · 07/04/2018 20:23

Don't go out with a bang. Just do a slow fade. Reply when asked but initiate nothing. If they ask about dd's birthday say no plans yet. Don't give them any drama. Come up with some stock lines to close down chats or text messages you don't want to engage with.
Door bell rang
Kids are sick
You have a migraine
Whatever works. Close down and switch off.
Unfollow on social media.
Good luck!

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