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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

Her demands are overbearing.

171 replies

Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 09:51

I need a rant about my mother, and how overbearing she is with her demands for me to take responsibility for her life.

She constantly asks for so much off people with a sense of entitlement that you her owe what she needs. She does not work. This was partly due to mental illness years ago but for the past few years she’s been making excuses not to. She will often, often!!! Play the victim. It’s like making up this victim scenario is what gets her by in life. I’ve tried helping her in the past setting her life up, getting a home for her. She has often had solutions to every single one of her issues but it’s like she enjoys playing the ‘poor me’ card.

She asks me a lot for money. Every week maybe. She lives with her son who is a few years younger than me who also is also entitled. He lives like a child in her home and rinses her. Will not cook for himself etc. He’s 25. He’s had so many job losses over his attitude not getting his own way at work I’ve lost count. At the moment he’s managed to keep one for the first 2 years of his life. He earns more than me. But for some reason barely pays anything towards her rent and he blows the rest on himself. If you need an idea of how much money He spends, over the past two years he Must be on to his fourth or fifth sports car. He will buy these, spend thousand on the insurance, pull them apart, kit them up, reckless drive, write them off, buy another outright in cash. Rinse and repeat. My mum is constantly asking for ‘scraps of coffee’ she is that skint. I know the first thought is to blame by brother for his shitty behaviour towards her, but she encourages it from him. I’m here working full time but having to feed my DD and run my home. Before I met my partner I had no savings at the end of the month as my income was stretched. She will not ask him for money because ‘He is only a baby’ and ‘but he works so hard for it’ or ‘but he has just bought another car so he doesn’t have any’ and instead expects me to fund her instead.

If I say no to her, she will make me feel so bad that I either give in, or she will send me nasty passive aggressive messages. I have called her outright once after she had me in tears for going on a night away with my partner to the theatre after refusing her a 100 loan. The night had been planned for 2 months and I wouldn’t have been able to go if I had loaned her.

She’s constantly asking for favours. Constantly. During lockdown it was ‘will you go to the shop for me’ or if you are ‘passing can you drop a scrap of washing powder off...’ (knowing full well i will just buy her a box, and if I say no, she will make me feel bad because it’s “only a scrap” of washing powder). Will you nip here for me. She knows I’m self isolating. She messages me every day with these demands. I live 20 minutes away from her so it’s a 40 minute round trip. I am working from home full time. I am homeschooling. She knows I can not run my daughter around here there and everywhere in the current conditions. Her son is furloughed at the moment but is ‘ Too busy working on his car’. She lives A 2 minute walk from the shop. She has no commitments.

She used to do this when I was working 2 hours away. I would leave the house for 6, get to work for 8, not Return home until 7 most nights. She would ask me to do a full shop for her on the way home from work, maybe twice a week, when I was knackered and all I wanted was to get home, get showered, put the washing on and eat. With the money she borrowed off me. She could have easily been shopping in that time I was working. If I said no she made me Feel bad because I was ‘passing the supermarket anyway’. She has often bitched about me to
her sister making me look like the ungrateful daughter. If I ignore her messages about favours, she will sent passive aggressive messages like ‘oh its fine I’ll just starve then’ or ‘I’ll hide from the bailiffs I’m sure they won’t find me’.

I confronted her after the theatre incident. She denied it all. And then it settled for a bit about the money, she never asked until Christmas came when she ended up getting a loan for a lavish Christmas of food and gifts, knowing she couldn’t afford repayments and would could just ask me to pay it back.

Yesterday she asked me to loan 40 for council tax as she was in trouble. I asked her how much she owed. She said 80 but she planned to pay a bit and then pay more when she could. I told her it might be better to ring them up and ask them to make a payment plan and put a few quid extra on her bill over the year to spread the cost, rather than borrowing off people and wondering where she will scrape the money up to pay people back. She said she will thInk about it. I gave her a perfect solution To her problem but she messaged back and said ‘I’ve thought about it and decided to pay the 40 now instead’. Meaning of my money. She had a solution for her issue and she decided It was my responsibility to pay it.

I don’t mind helping her out here and there but by doing so I am feeding in to my brothers lifestyle and their ridiculous head in the sand attitude to responsibility over their lives. I’m so very fed up. She’s been like this as long as I can remember and I just needed to write it all down.

OP posts:
TwentyViginti · 03/06/2020 10:05

Tell her you are no longer able to fund her life and go low contact. Do not respond to any begging or nasty messages. Take back control of your life and simply stop enabling her entitlement. It'll be hard at first, but only YOU can sort this out. She'll eventually get bored of demanding money/favours when she realises you are no longer available for this.

Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:13

You know if this was a friend or colleague or whatever I’d have no problem with this. For some reason when it’s your own mum is so difficult!!

I don’t mind helping her out with the odd thing but she expects it and it’s like she reels me in ever so slowly and it’s back to square one again. I’m some ways I do feel like I owe her because she has done things for me too in the past if I Have needed it. I know there is a difference between Offering Someone’s help and expecting someone’s help. I think she has a way of making you feel sorry for her too or I am being unreasonable to say no if you know what I mean?

She’s in desperate need for help, I have the solution, she will pay me back so no harm done. But there is so much harm being done.

OP posts:
ihatethecold · 03/06/2020 10:15

Op. Read this book.
It will all fall into place.

It helped me so much

www.waterstones.com/book/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents/lindsay-c-gibson/9781626251700

BluebellsareBlue · 03/06/2020 10:17

Next time she phoned for a loan or a scrap of something just say "oh mum I was going to ask you for a loan of 50 quid, really struggling this month" and see what she says. Maybe it will stop her asking you if she thinks the response will be asking for a loan from her

Shoxfordian · 03/06/2020 10:18

It's hard but you really need to cut her off for a while. Go very low contact and the moment she asks for money, say no and hang up. Maybe look for a good counsellor once lockdown is over or an online one for now

Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:21

Thank you for the recommendation, I will look into it.

I’ve always thought about looking in to self help for our relationship but I can’t quite place what this relationship actually is. No one else has Seemed to have a situation Similar. She’s not abusive or anything so warrant full NC - I tried Nc when I was younger, I left home when I was 13 because of her ways and her mental state and she tried killing herself. Her side of the family blamed me for it and I didn’t have any relationship with her until my DC was born, it messed me up. Our relationship has slowly build up over the years (more of a ‘friendship’ type thing than a mother and daughter one).

My DD adores her of course.

She was similar when I was younger, my friends used to call around to play with me and before I even knew they had come for me she had ferried them to the shop for her. It made a massive impact on my friendships when I was little

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 03/06/2020 10:22

Just keep saying no. Don’t try to give her an explanation, or justify your reason. ‘Sorry mum, no’ is your mantra

Sharpandshineyteeth · 03/06/2020 10:23

I like @BluebellsareBlue idea. And when she asks you for a “a scrap of something” ask her for a loan then as well. Say you can only afford to go to the shops if she loans you a tenner for petrol.

Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:24

I did say no for a while for some reason I feel it’s back to square one again.

How do you say no to your mum when she is sat there in the dark with no electric and food? How do you do that?

OP posts:
Neap · 03/06/2020 10:25

If I say no to her, she will make me feel so bad that I either give in, or she will send me nasty passive aggressive messages

You're choosing to do this. Stop.

Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:27

I think all of the above is the top of the iceberg as well. She used to clean for me, and I’d give her the money, rather than having loan it to her. Even with the extra income her situation never changed.

I was going out of my mind slowly thinking I was going insane until I had proof of what had been niggling me all along - whilst she was cleaning she had been stealing from me too. Only bits of washing powder and the odd thing but it build up over time and she used to smuggle it out of my house!!

OP posts:
Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:29

She would demand me to be back at work at a certain time too, to offer a lift back home because she was doing ME a favour by cleaning... if I was stuck in traffic and was 20 minutes later I would come home to her sat with her coat on, in the dark, tv off waiting for me in silence like she was making a point

OP posts:
Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:32

I’m sorry I’m ranting. I bet it all sounds straightforward to you all, but when you are in that situation there’s so many emotional ties I can see straight with it all. I can only compare it to being in an abusive relationship with a partner - it’s clear to others that they need to leave, but to the person going through it there’s too many ties and it’s not as simple as just leaving, or ‘just saying no’

I’ve been called selfish by many people, my family, friends, people on mumsnet by not offering my mum a loaf of bread when she’s been starving. So it makes me feel like I’m being unreasonable and selfish. They can’t seem to see the side to it that she puts herself in that position

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 03/06/2020 10:32

She does it because you let her, she’s discovered a formula that works so why change?
Your choices are to say no and live with the (totally undeserved) guilt or continue as you are.

Hoppinggreen · 03/06/2020 10:33

If she is starving thats not down to you, your brother can buy her a loaf of bread

SissySpacekAteMyHamster · 03/06/2020 10:34

You are going to have to be incredibly strong in saying no every time she asks.

Eventually I reckon she will start in on your brother if she really is that desperate. That will probably give him the kickstart to leave home and grow up a bit.

You are currently enabling her behaviour.

WeveGottaGetTherouxThis · 03/06/2020 10:35

Gosh, what a terrible situation. You sound like a really lovely person who deserves much, much better. The behaviour of your extended family who blamed you for what happened during your teenage years is just inexcusable.

You say your relationship has changed into one of friendship, rather than mother & daughter, but I don’t know of anyone whose friends treat them like this.

I think this is a form of emotional abuse and would simply let her know that this is taking a toll on you in many different ways, and that you need a break for the foreseeable.

Hadalifeonce · 03/06/2020 10:35

For you own sake, you have to take s step back from this relationship. If she asks you for anything, time. Shopping. Money. Tell he ask your brother. If she says he's busy on his car, tell her you're busy earning a living/being a good mother, and can't deal with her at the moment. Do it every single time, unless it doesn't inconvenience you. NEVER lend her any money, it will just encourage her. You have to look after yourself first and foremost.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 03/06/2020 10:35

"How do you say no to your mum when she is sat there in the dark with no electric and food? How do you do that?"

She can tell you what she likes but she is unlikely to be sitting there like that and if she is, its her choice to do so.

With regards to your brother she has created this waster of a manchild, this is all on her.

I doubt very much your DD adores her, she probably fears her more like because she sees what her nan is doing to you.

What is your definition of abuse if not your mother's behaviours towards you?. Abuse is not just physical in nature; its all about power and control. This woman has blighted your whole life and will continue to as long as she has any say over you.

Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:38

I am enabling it aren’t I. It’s so difficult.

My brother doesn’t have the money, he blows it within days of receiving his wage. There is no way for her to get the bread for another three weeks or until some sort of benefit comes through.

OP posts:
YippeeKayakOtherBuckets · 03/06/2020 10:39

You need to get yourself some robust therapy with someone who understands this kind of entanglement.

What would happen if you just told her to go fuck herself? Have you suggested she ask her son for rent/help?

You are ABSOLUTELY being abused here by the way.

Is she a drinker? Is that where her money goes?

AttilaTheMeerkat · 03/06/2020 10:39

Your mother's own family are just like your mother; abusive. It was not your fault your mother tried to kill herself; you are not responsible for the actions of another person in any event and you were but a child at the time. All the adults in your life at that time let you down badly, life at home was so crap you ran away from home. That girl now you needs to heal and doing that will involve removing yourself completely from your mother and in turn your brother now.

Tappering · 03/06/2020 10:40

You have to say no and stop doing this.

Every time you give her money, or a 'scrap' of something, you enable her behaviour.

She knows this and therefore keeps doing it. And she knows that all she has to do is make nasty comments and get upset and then you'll cave in.

Can you give me a 'scrap' of something?
No I don't have any to spare.

Can you lend me £40?
No I don't have any money to lend, I need it all for my own bills.

Well I supposed I'll sit in the dark then.
I'm sorry to hear that, perhaps you need to speak to Brother about making a fair contribution so you have enough money for bills.

Well I hope the bailiffs don't find me.
If things are that bad then you need to contact CAB or a debt charity - you can find details onlonr.

You have to disengage. Otherwise nothing will change.

Sunflowersok · 03/06/2020 10:45

She does adore her, my DD. She treats her like she’s never treated me before - this does not bother me there is no jealousy there obviously because she’s my DD and I want the best for her.

I’m going to have to strap up on her again aren’t I, I just don’t want the mass amount of abuse that I know will come my way.

My partner knows what she is like now, he’s very supportive but with the CT situation yesterday he was like ‘well I know what it’s like to be in trouble with council tax, it’s scary and serious, I’m sure we can sort something with her’. It made me feel bad again like I was being selfish. He’s very soft with helping other people it’s a quality I love about him but she seems to have got him wrapped around her finger now.

She’s been messaging awful messages about her sister too. She offers her cleaning regularly for money, but last week she didn’t have any cleaning for her (or just didn’t want her around to clean). My mum kicked off sending loads of messages to me saying she was done with her sister, she was a selfish bitch she was a c**t etc. Calling her ungrateful.

I really don’t know where she’s got her mindset from tbh? How does someone become that sort of person with that sort of mentality?!

OP posts:
LillianBland · 03/06/2020 10:46

You know that she’s going to leech off your daughter, as soon as she is old enough to have pocket money, savings, can go out by herself, etc, don’t you, OP? You need to stop this nonsense now. That money is for your family, not for her. If you have spare, you should be saving it or using it to treat your own family. Stop this enabling. I guarantee she will piss off out of your life, as soon as she can make no more money from you. She’s a user.