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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

My son

34 replies

Emm0 · 20/02/2020 00:40

Hi all, I’m knew to this as of tonight my son (13yrs old) has had he’s heartbroken 😭 I’ve had him physically shaking gasping for air!!! I’ve had to cradle him. He’s girlfriend of 1month & 16days dumped him by text. Is it natural for a mother to b so angry 😡 inside.? X

OP posts:
Emm0 · 20/02/2020 00:43

Please help son heart broken over he’s first love he’s only (13) uncontrollable shaking gasping for air I’ve cradled him all night. Is it natural to b so damn angry 😠 inside x

OP posts:
ItsNotJustTheFuckingFlu · 20/02/2020 00:44

Who are you angry at?
Surely not the girl?

Emm0 · 20/02/2020 00:45

No! Jus so angry in general

OP posts:
catanplayer · 20/02/2020 00:48

Sounds a bit intense. At the age of 13 I don't think you should be angry. They're children. My dd1, who is 16, has just been dumped by her boyfriend, but I'm not angry at him. Relationships are going to come and go at that age.

Emm0 · 20/02/2020 00:50

No god no not angry at the kids as u said relationship come nd go but being he’s first ever girlfriend jus breaking my heart!

OP posts:
SunflowerSuit · 20/02/2020 00:54

This is where you comfort him but also prepare him for handling rejection.

Seems a little excessive a reaction for a one month relationship tbh.

His heart is not broken, just a little bruised.

ItsNotJustTheFuckingFlu · 20/02/2020 00:54

It's very very common for relationships to be short lived at 13, it happens but it hurts. Give him lots of hugs, his fave food and snacks, and a bit of time and he will feel better soon.

Emm0 · 20/02/2020 00:59

ItsNotJustTheFuckingFlu. Thank u so much yeah that’s what I’m doin giving him loads of cuddles nd plan having something special tomorrow nd I’ve told him if he needs a bit of time for himself i understand. Being my ONLY!!!!! Child this is all new to me really thank u though for talking to me

OP posts:
Emm0 · 20/02/2020 01:04

I totally understand relationship come to and end nd yes I’m upset for him!!! Where it first happened shaking etc is a natural thing for anyone in life 13 or etc. And as I’ve said I’m new to all this he’s first relationship ever feel like I’m being spoken to like a child!

OP posts:
WhiteBadger · 20/02/2020 01:55

Emmo1 completely understand where you're coming from!! My eldest is in their 30s.

Do you know the milestones I remember

  • first day at school
  • first day at university

And

First time they got their heart broken!!

I can't remember first steps or first words but the first time they got their heartbroken! AWFUL

Looking back I think it's because we as parents are so used to "fixing" everything. Hurt knee? Kiss it better! Problem at school? March round and sort it.

Broken heart .... what can we do. Fuck all! Sit there and watch that precious thing break their heart and unable to to fix it at all.

Feeling useless and yes maybe a bit angry, that we can't do anything but watch helplessly.

I feel for you OP, and it will last a long time.

No one forgets their First Love!

It's the most hopeless horrible feeling!!

springydaff · 20/02/2020 03:12

I cried when my boy was dumped horribly the cow . It just does hurt when your child is suffering terribly.

Take no notice of the snooty brigade on here, op. Some people like to think they know it all.

PityParty4one · 20/02/2020 03:29

This reply has been deleted

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Brazi103 · 20/02/2020 05:41

FFS this is why little nippers shouldnt be having 'relationships'. He is a small child and has no clue. Tell him to stop trying to be an adult as that is for adults. You cannot be angry at this girl. She is just as much a silly child as he is.

Robin2323 · 20/02/2020 05:59

My son was 17 when this happened.
Hit him a lot harder than when it happened to my daughter.

Just be there for him.
Listen.
Validate his feelings.
With your support he'll get through this faster.

Monty27 · 20/02/2020 06:25

It happens. They get over it. Take him out for a treat, spend time with him, cook his favourite meal and of course hug him and discuss.
He really shouldn't have become so invested in in a relationship at this age anyway.
Confused

RantyAnty · 20/02/2020 06:26

Happened to both my son and daughter. You're doing the right thing. Being there for him. Lots of hugs and validation. A broken heart is so painful.

I understand your feelings. You don't ever want bad things to happen to your children. Teach him how to deal with his emotions and give himself some closure. He'll find love again.

Rache49 · 20/02/2020 06:40

His Heart may be broken a few times before his teens are over and he will become resilient , not hardened but develop coping strategies with your help and support. It's not a nice way to be dumped and I can only imagine his despair. Naturally you want to fix this but it's one of life's rites of passage which most of us have been through if we're honest. He will get there and winder why he was so upset. Hang on in there.

Northernparent68 · 20/02/2020 07:30

Op, I mean this nicely but he really should n’t be should n’t be shaking and gasping for air. He really needs to learn resilience.

It’s not clear why you’re angry, but it is n’t helping.

corythatwas · 20/02/2020 09:06

I think it is fairly normal for a young person to be experiencing things intensely when it's the first time. And not convinced it would be better if he waited until he was 16 or 17 before experiencing his first upset of this kind: 16/17yos aren't exactly known for their placid and unemotional responses.

But as adults we are the ones who need to be modelling resilience. Not preaching it, modelling it. That's what you need to do, OP. Be sympathetic but not show your anger or upset, not encourage him to wallow in pain. Be kind and distract. But not by offering lots of treats: it will not do him any good for the future to feel that the world owes him every time he experiences pain.

And you do need to get it across that this is a normal thing that happens, that the girl is acting within her rights, and that he now needs to act with self-control because that is what you do when you are old enough to start thinking about these things.

contrary13 · 20/02/2020 09:06

When they're young, they feel every bump along the road so much more intensely than they will when they're older (and wiser). As their mothers, there's very little we can do for heartbreak other than be there if/when they need to talk (which they do, even if it is days later once they've processed), allow them access to their supportive friends (huge help), and carry on as normal (because this is a natural part of their growing up).

My 15 year old son had his heart broken for the first time when the dog he'd grown up with had to be euthanised last October, on Halloween. He thought he'd experienced heartbreak before, when his first ever girlfriend ditched him at 14 because he had a facial tumour (she's very shallow and led by appearances rather than substance) - but nope. He said that was nothing in comparison to the death of his dog. He cried, I held him (ignoring my own grief), we talked, he went out with his mates and they reminded him that he needs to remember the good times, and got him to talk about all those memories he has of his first ever "best friend". He's still grieving now, but his friends help. He's also got another girlfriend, too, so I expect there'll be another bout of grief when that ends, but he knows (sadly) that fleeting relationships coming to a natural end, hurts less than death.

Your 13 year old will get over this. Yes, it's true, that we never forget our first loves - and doubly true that we experience maternal rage when someone hurts our babies... so your anger is natural. But you can't do anything other than remind your 13 year old that this? Is but the first step on a long road. Let them be bolstered by their friends, who will "get" the grief, because they're the same age. Cook their favourite supper, do something fun with them, listen to them, hold them, let them feel how/what they want to. But remind them, too, that someone else will catch their eye, and they'll be older and wiser then, because of this break up.

And don't ever take your natural anger out on the one who rejected your baby. Flowers OP, because this is a very long road to be walking.

Robin2323 · 20/02/2020 10:53

@contrary13
What a lovely bunch of friends your son has.

Blobby10 · 20/02/2020 12:10

@Emm0 I had this with my eldest but he was 15. He was badly bullied at school (which we didn't know about at the time) and this girl was one of the cool kids. It was a very short relationship but he fell head over heels for her. She dumped him after 3 weeks but then her friend said if he bought said girl a bottle of a certain perfume (£50) she would go out with him again. he did. She didn't.

As I held him sobbing in my arms, yes, I admit to feeling very angry at this selfish and inconsiderate teenage girl who had no idea what she had done. Its natural. I'm his mother!! Of course I would be angry at someone hurting my baby. He said at the time that he would never have another girlfriend and he hasn't. He's 24 this year and so very longing for that special relationship but has so little confidence with females.

opticaldelusion · 20/02/2020 15:09

It's awful to see your pup in pain but he needs to learn emotional resilience and the best way is for you to set a calm example that puts things in perspective for him, ie. not getting angry yourself.

Gutterton · 20/02/2020 15:36

Your job now is to put YOUR feelings to one side and validate HIS feelings. Don’t interpret them - just accept them as they are.

He must not sense and absorb your anger or heightened emotions as this will ratchet up his stress.

Your job is to soothe, contain and calm him. Don’t overwhelm him with any of your overbearing emotion.

Use this as a fundamental learning opportunity where you facilitate his growing resilience. Just like you taught him to share, find calmness after a nightmare etc.

Be grateful for the opportunity and privilege to support him. This may have happened at uni when he was far away or he may not have shared it with you if your RS wasn’t open.

Be ALONGSIDE him to encourage and support him to find his own way out.

contrary13 · 20/02/2020 15:45

Robin - they're a nice bunch of kids, and I'm grateful for their being my son's friends most days. They all grew up together from the age of 2 onwards - so they knew my son's dog, too. They all have their own memories of him (one girl sent me a sympathy card in which she said that her favourite thing to do before school was to cuddle our dog, whilst one of the boys' mothers stopped me in the supermarket and said how sorry she was, and how on Halloween her son had come home and cried because our grumpy old spaniel was no longer around), which I think helps my son. Fairly soon, their paths will split - and I suspect they'll maintain their friendships, but also that my son will never have another group of friends as brilliant and supportive as these ones.

Not all teenagers are awful. Some of them? Are wonderful. I'm also aware, though, that my son is in the minority when it comes to friendship groups like this one. His sister still doesn't have a tight knit support group like he does, and she's older.