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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 hard should I try to contact a grown up child who has gone NC ?

258 replies

LeebieAnn · 27/05/2019 17:59

My youngest daughter ( aged 30) hand she whilst not completely NC has as gone full NC. Blocked me on all forms of communication. Not sure about email but got no response to one that I sent) so snail mail is now my only hope. Worst of all she dragged her sister(32) into the
" argument" and she has changed from phoning me virtually every day for a chat to arguing and refusing to let her DD ( 8) to come visit as previously planned. I live approx two hours away from either.
I reached out to the younger one by email but got no response. Phone calls and texts go unanswered.
This all started a month ago and I cried and was really upset virtually every day and it interfered with my normal activities. Now I am finding that my heart is hardening into anger.
Shall I just accept it ?
From reading previous posts over the months, it would appear that Mumsnet appears to advise that a position of NC with a parent is a correct and righteous step to take with an elderly parent that has annoyed you.

OP posts:
LeebieAnn · 28/05/2019 12:58

@IrisAtwood Phew ! I am really learning about myself. However, I am sorry to say that I cannot see my self as a manipulative. I am honestly asking you to tell me in what way. If I can't see it , how can I change it?

@peekyboo that has really helped me see the other side. But, my shock horror and feeling hard done by came because I had been updating her in the day , apologising profusely several times at each new set back and right up until I sat down on the train she was saying " Dont worry about it ".

@roisinagusniamh On the subject of money. The other reason that I was reluctant to give up on the journey was because it had left me with just £10 in my purse and the ticket was only valid that day ; open return. I am currently making ends meet on a State Pension only but I am in the process of selling another flat and own the home I live in. But for the moment, having lost the rental income from the other flat I am short on disposable income.
That said, I would not disinherit her of whatever little I have left to leave and have never threatened it . I just mentioned it on here as I am being honest about my darkest thoughts.
Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to answer. It is very important to me .
Actually I was toying with the idea of asking the MUMSnetters about my will. If I pluck up courage after this onslaught I still may do so.

OP posts:
GottaGetUp · 28/05/2019 13:06

right up until I sat down on the train she was saying " Dont worry about it ".

Right up until the point you had a tantrum and threatened to leave the dog with her unexpectedly because you had messed up your travel arrangements, you mean...

Aberforthsgoat · 28/05/2019 13:06

Can you genuinely not see how narcissistic your posts are op? They are all about YOU

KindnessCrusader · 28/05/2019 13:09

That said, I would not disinherit her of whatever little I have left to leave and have never threatened it . I just mentioned it on here as I am being honest about my darkest thoughts.
Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to answer. It is very important to me .
Actually I was toying with the idea of asking the MUMSnetters about my will. If I pluck up courage after this onslaught I still may do so.

I'm confused. Which is it?

AGnu · 28/05/2019 13:11

Did you tell your fourth child that you thought the other family having a 4th was a mistake? That could absolutely be (mis?)interpreted as you regretting having your 4th child.

Honestly, I'd leave it now. I certainly wouldn't be sending "you'll regret this when I'm dead" letters. If you're worried that she will, write letters to all your children, so no-one feels left out, that they can find after you're dead. Don't include anything dramatic, acknowledge that you had your differences & perhaps you weren't the easiest person, apologise for that & tell them you love them all. You could mention some happy times you had together as long as you're sure they were mutual happy times. Don't add anything that could be seen as "poor me" or blaming them. Then put them in envelopes & file them away. Get on with your own life - your children will be in touch if/when they feel ready. Some counselling for you in the meantime might be useful. Do not contact them to tell them you're doing that - it'll just make it all about you again.

LittleRedMushroom · 28/05/2019 13:18

I am NC with my dad.
He has written me out of his will and made sure I knew it.
It has actually prevented me from making contact with him again in case he thinks I am just doing it to get back in the will.

If one of my (now adult) DC had told me they thought I loved them less, I would be distraught and doing anything I could to apologise and work through it with them. My first reaction would never have been to talk to the other DC about it or plan to ban them from my funeral and cut them out of the will.
None of your behaviour seems to be either kind or supportive.

If you are willing to change, then I would get some support from a counsellor to work out how to move forwards with your daughter. If you don't want to change, NC is probably the best thing for everyone.

LittleRedMushroom · 28/05/2019 13:22

I should also add that refusing to listen to/accept your daughters reasons for the way she feels is very telling.
Have a look at this website:
www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/missing-missing-reasons.html

StarJumpsandaHalf · 28/05/2019 13:38

Disinheriting someone has absolutely nothing to do with the value of a bequest and everything to do with the sentiment.

NicoAndTheNiners · 28/05/2019 13:40

You're right if you can't see it then you can't change.

Which will be exactly why she has gone NC with you. Due to your total inability to see what you're like and change.

I think you need more help in recognising how to change your behaviour than strangers off the internet can give you. Maybe counselling would help?

Triglesoffy · 28/05/2019 13:46

You’ve only got £10 for the next three weeks? How are you going to feed your dog?

I’m worried about the dog, here, folks.

Triglesoffy · 28/05/2019 13:48

Are you in York, Lincoln or Kings Lynn? I’ll bring over some Winalot if you need it.

Ivestoppedreadingthenews · 28/05/2019 13:59

Just as a bit of insight. My mum had very little to do with me and my kids and then befriended someone a similar age and their small children. It felt like a slap in the face and confirming how she really felt about me all along.

LeebieAnn · 28/05/2019 14:09

@AGnu I never discussed the other family with my daughter so NO.

@LittleRedMushroom She was, and is, deeply loved and was, if anything, more indulged than the others being the youngest. Her reasons were listened to but definitely not accepted so I had to just let it go. There was nothing I could say.

I have had a quick look at the website you recommended and will read in more detail later. One of the key points seems to be remembering and recounting conversations in detail so I will do that .

I wish I had never mentioned a will, it is irrelevant except for the fact that I know I should make one. This post is getting very confusing for all now so best leave it.

I have had a lot of good advice . I may or may not write a letter apologizing and asking if we can move on.

OP posts:
romeoonthebalcony · 28/05/2019 14:11

you ask why people called you narc like - here's a couple of examples:

Blaming others (typical N behaviour) - you were upset as you were late to your daughter's - you send her a blaming text like she's asked you to do this enormous thing for her and you wont' be doing it again rather than this all being due to a course of mishaps of your own making. Maybe cos DD was texting "that's fine", rather than "poor Mum, sounds a mare, will just be happy to see you when you get here" your emotions were not soothed so you lashed out?...(as that understanding would only come if you had nurtured such a relationship)

Needing to play the hero - you make big gestures for the Romanian family but mooching around charity shops for a present that would mean something to DD, something sustainable to upcycle is a pain in the arse and not satisfying for you

you ensure the Romanian children are spoilt by you and become demanding to see you - did you do it for their own good really? or did you do it to feel the hero?

Also, you seem vulnerable to potentially being groomed for access to children, you have a history of a DV relationship and then, it sounds like, being very taken advantage of by the family who seemed "needy" and ended up being sexually assualted.

As you become older, with less to supply your needs, your other DD may be genuinely worried that you will be taken in by someone who strokes your ego and need to be in the rescuer position and therefore does not want to risk a DGC alone with you.

LeebieAnn · 28/05/2019 14:16

@Triglesoffy You are making me smile. The story is historic. The ill fated train journey was over a month ago. And actually the dog is well fed , I top up his rations on pension day.

How hard  should I try to contact a grown up child who has gone NC ?
OP posts:
GottaGetUp · 28/05/2019 14:19

Don’t write to her. You don’t get it, and you never will.

gottastopeatingchocolate · 28/05/2019 14:20

The "hurt" part of you wanted to write your daughter out of your will, but you don't have a will yet?

This might not be the best time for you to start thinking about a will. You might regret the decisions you make right now.

BoneyBackJefferson · 28/05/2019 14:29

Her reasons were listened to but definitely not accepted

There is the reason for NC just there

so I had to just let it go.

But you haven't

LittleRedMushroom · 28/05/2019 14:43

Her reasons were listened to but definitely not accepted so I had to just let it go. There was nothing I could say.

If you don't accept what she says as being real to her, then you will never be able to resolve anything.
She has her own memories of what happened and her own view on how it affected her. Take her opinions seriously or lose her.

I'll give you an example from my childhood - my parents smacked us everyday for any trivial transgression. My view is - how the hell could anybody deliberately hurt a small child on a daily basis? My mum's view is - that's just what we did in those days and you've no permanent damage - so why are you bothered by something from all those years ago? No apology. No remorse. Just 'that's the way it was'. To put it into context, I never thought about how cruelly my parents treated us until I had DC of my own. Then my norms shifted.

Maybe some of things you view as just being 'the way things were' or just 'the way I am' are now incredibly difficult for her to accept.

isthatabloborwhat · 28/05/2019 15:49

However I am sorry to say that I cannot see myself as a manipulative. I am honestly asking you to tell me in what way.

This entire thread is all about you and the effect your dd's behaviour is having on you. Nothing at all about how she feels, other than your refusal to accept any explanation of hers as valid. You want to re-establish contact, not (I suspect) to make amends and to acknowledge her point of view, but to make her realise that you are right and she is wrong. Again.

She has had enough. Leave her alone.

As for you DGC - the main reason you are upset that you can't see them this half-term is obvious. I had it all planned out in my head. Your plans have been thwarted, haven't they? You aren't putting the child first. You didn't say that it's a shame for the DGC that they can't come over, you are frustrated because you are not getting your own way.

Huskylover1 · 28/05/2019 16:47

Mumsnet is so ageist, it's unbelievable. Just because Op is in her 60's, she's automatically the villain here. The 30 year old daughter sounds like an absolute dick. Op single handedly raised 4 children. She's not going to be perfect every second of every day. No-one sails through raising kids without sometimes getting it wrong. She sounds like a normal Mum to me, who has always tried to do her best, but sadly the youngest child is difficult and prone to drama.

Op, MN is filled with people who have cut their parents off, so you're not going to get a balanced view here (as you've seen). I'd write the letter. Make it loving and don't lay any blame at your DD door. Tell her how much she is loved, and reassure her that you love all of your children the same. Your Will should be split 4 ways, between your 4 children.

Ninkaninus · 28/05/2019 16:55
Hmm

It has nothing whatsoever to do with age! I would be saying the same thing to anybody of any age who is in the OP’s situation.

Individuals have the right not engage in dialogue of any kind with any other person if that dialogue is harmful to them (or perceived as such by them) and that position should be respected. It doesn’t mean that they are actually in the right. It just means that if they’ve made it clear they are not interested in a dialogue, then you are harassing them by continuing to try to engage them in it.

StillMe1 · 28/05/2019 17:06

@Huskylover good post. No-one will ever get being a parent exactly right. It is not an exact science.
If we came back in 30 or 40 years I wonder what the children of today's Mumsnetters would have to say.
All anyone can ever do is the best they can.

BollocksToBrexit · 28/05/2019 17:13

It's got nothing to do with age and everything to do with attitude. My DD is only a couple of years younger than the OP, so we're probably quite close in age.

Yes we all mess up sometimes as parents but some parents acknowledge those mistakes and the impact they have on their children. Others prefer denial and sweeping reality under the carpet.

rvby · 28/05/2019 17:14

Honestly OP, having read all your posts...

You sound like you have very little insight into how other people think and feel. A few decades ago it used to be OK to throw tantrums and be awful if you were older, folk were meant to forgive you and excuse you... that time is over now. You're responsible for the things you say. The whole dog fiasco, I can see why you didn't want to tell the story. You sound like a stroppy toddler and your poor DD must have been dreading seeing you.

You go on about how you were going to visit her in order to show you love her.... but you threw a strop at her via text while on the way there? Threatened to dump the dog at hers? Jabbed her regarding upcoming planned visits, let her know that you were going to withdraw future visits because of how shit this one was?

Do you understand that when you act like a knob, people don't want to be around you? That's a natural consequence of being a knob. You are the mum, you're not meant to act like a nasty, petulant child toward your own children. You report your behaviour re the dog as if it were normal - that tells me that you probably act a bit like this fairly regularly? Do you understand that if that's the case, you are VERY LUCKY that your children talk to you at all.

Another perspective to add to this...
You had 4 children with a violent man, and all of them spent their tenderest years in a violent household. My DGM did the same as you, and of course those children developed serious emotional problems that they can never shake, that are foundational to their personalities. Your children will not be any different. It would be a miracle for any of them to be unscathed by the choice you made.

It pains me to hear you describe your DD as dramatic and difficult. YOU chose to have kids with a violent bully... YOU brought children into the world where they learned painful emotional patterns. If (big if) your DD is indeed dramatic, do you understand that she's come by that very honestly?

You talk as if you are a frail and feeble old duck whose children should be kinder to her... the thing is though, it's as plain as day that you are one of those people who will never be blamed for a single thing. It's not possible to be kind to someone like that, not consistently. You're the kind of person who exhausts goodwill.

I don't know if you can change the way you are, but if you can you should. People who exhaust the goodwill of others end up so very lonely in the end. Take responsibility for your words and actions, do better, be a better person... or at least leave your DD alone.

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