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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

Narc parent -tell them what I think or just stop contact?

10 replies

Dollyparton3 · 02/03/2020 08:13

I've recently come to the conclusion that my father is a narc and I want to stop contact. A brief history so that I don't drip feed:

He was a single father from the age of 7, this was always a source of huge sympathy for him but he was very much far from a model parent. I've had two episodes of violence from him in my life, he was verbally abusive throughout my childhood and I spent most of my childhood navigating around his drunken rants and the many women who he shipped into and out of the house on a whim. When I was 9 he woke me in the middle of the night to tell me that it was my fault that a woman didn't want to be with him. This is the sort of thing he did all the time. From a young age I was told that I wasn't good enough because I was a slovenly lazy slut" if I didn't clean the house to his standards. I remember this being screamed into my face from the age of 8 onwards. When I ran away at 14 I was a "terrible daughter and uncontrollable" when I bunked off school I was "a nightmare to manage a horrible teenager" that sort of thing. For context my absent mum left at 7 then died when I was 14. I had a very confusing time.

Fast forward 20-30 off years and I got married last year. Here's examples of his behaviour on the day

He arrived at the pub and started telling my husband he'd "break your legs if you're horrible to my daughter" not once, he said it 5 times. The irony is that when my ex husband cheated on me he didn't lift a finger to help so my husband had to bite his tongue not to say anything. This was in front of other guests as well.

He didn't contribute a penny to the wedding, there was no offer (and none first time round to help give context) he refuse the give a father of the bride speech but instead kicked off an argument with my aunt at 7:30, was rude to my stepdaughter when she went to say hello and he disappeared by 8:30pm. The following morning at breakfast I had my aunt in tears, he acted like nothing had happened but asked me how much the wedding cost me. I was fuming.

On the past few years my brother has gone no contact with him so whenever I call him I get 10 mins of "disbelief and shock" as to why my brother makes no effort to call" at the start of every phone conversation. Prior to the wedding I was saying to my DH that it was exhausting me to be have to discuss it every few weeks.

Since the wedding I suspect he's feeling a bit sheepish so fortunately he hasnt returned my latest call on his birthday at the start of the year. He is well known for 5-10 year sulks.

So. My question is do I tell him I'm going NC and why so that I can get it off my chest or do I enjoy the silence? I'm fixed in my head that I'm beyond the point of no return.

OP posts:
Windmillwhirl · 02/03/2020 08:16

I'd say nothing, as in nothing to him ever again. All he has brought you is misery. I'd have binned him decades ago.

daisychain01 · 02/03/2020 08:22

Don't waste your breathe. He forfeited the honour of an explanation by being a complete and utter arsehole to you all your life. You owe him nothing if you decide to cut him out of your life with immediate effect. If it were me I'd move house so he doesn't have a forwarding address, he sounds that bad.

Friendsofmine · 02/03/2020 08:28

My husband did a long letter getting it all off his chest, saying why he was going no contact and wishing his parent would get help to deal with the reasons why they'd become such a shit parent. It allowed him to move forward.

EdgarAlanPoe · 02/03/2020 08:30

Honestly don’t bother. He will deny everything and accuse you of lying. Then you will have more anger.

I’ve been NC with my mother for 15 years now. Although I did go and see her off my own back five years ago as I started to feel sorry for her as my DB is also NC and I thought she might have changed. She hadn’t. So I walked away again.

The biggest feeling I get from being NC is control. I control who is worthy to be in my life now. Im an adult. Nobody gets to treat me that way anymore

Dollyparton3 · 02/03/2020 08:31

Wow, it's only when I wrote that all down that I realise how horrendous the truth really is, I'd somehow normalised all of that behaviour.

It's only now being a step mum (no children of my own) that I've really started to think about how wrong my childhood was. I can't imagine even raising my voice to a child let alone screaming at them

OP posts:
LaLaLandIsNoFun · 02/03/2020 08:33

Not worth giving reasons or trying to explain yourself to someone like this. Just cut contact.

Dollyparton3 · 02/03/2020 08:34

@edgaralanpo this is what I'm hoping for, just a bit of additional self respect from taking control. It's good to hear it works

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 02/03/2020 08:39

Just cut contact completely with like your brother has done. He was not a good parent to you (an understatement) when you were growing up and he has not changed in all the years since. Do read "Children of the Self Absorbed" written by Nina W Brown.

Do not give him any more ammo re you giving reasons or explaining yourself. Do not JADE yourself when it comes to narcissists (i.e. justify, argue, defend or explain).

Dollyparton3 · 02/03/2020 08:42

@AttilaTheMeerkat thank you for the book-recommendation. I suspect I have a bit of a journey now to understand/process/settle in all of this so I'll definitely look it up

OP posts:
BagpussAteMyHomework · 02/03/2020 08:46

Sorry you’ve had such a difficult time.

If you make an announcement you risk him believing it’s negotiable and possibly a challenge. He might decide someone is pressuring you to cut contact and take it out on them. You know better than us what he is like.

Cutting contact altogether is very tough (speaking from experience). Do it if you’ve come the conclusion that it’s necessary, e.g. if it’s affecting children or your own mental health or you feel unsafe.

If you are wavering, I’d recommend talking it through with a counsellor (if this an option), and look at alternatives such as not initiating contact, not telling him anything about your life, and using the ‘grey rock’ techniques.

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