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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

November 2022 - well we took you to Stately Homes

1000 replies

AttilaTheMeerkat · 21/10/2022 17:16

This is the latest thread, please feel free to write as much or as little as you please.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Chevyimpala67 · 29/01/2023 22:13

Sorry but murder in matalan made me snort! @MonkeyfromManchester

Thank you for your kind words. I'm biased but even my mum tells my my children are great 😲

Taking mum and mil out for lunch on mother's day. Get both out of the way AND I can have a drink 🍸 🤪

briarhill · 30/01/2023 10:19

Murder in Matalan with The Hag, slave son and toxic Tim.

😂

A must read!

@MyFragility Your story is heart-breaking. I'm so sorry your family put you through that. It's truly abusive. I'm glad you were able to distance yourself from them. And I'm so sorry for your loss. Flowers

@Chevyimpala67 , you sound like a wonderful, caring person and a fantastic mother.

My way of stopping the cycle was by not having children so I'm especially admiring of people who have survived toxic parents and have gone on to be GOOD parents. My deepest respect to you all!

NDerbys31 · 30/01/2023 11:57

For me, the last straw was the ignorance of our son by my parents, in favour of the children of the 'golden child' sister. That, and the justification of that behaviour by others either active or by sitting on their hands, was it for me.
Once you step away from a situation like that, everything starts to become even more clear.
Exactly the right decision taken.

Chevyimpala67 · 30/01/2023 12:01

briarhill · 30/01/2023 10:19

Murder in Matalan with The Hag, slave son and toxic Tim.

😂

A must read!

@MyFragility Your story is heart-breaking. I'm so sorry your family put you through that. It's truly abusive. I'm glad you were able to distance yourself from them. And I'm so sorry for your loss. Flowers

@Chevyimpala67 , you sound like a wonderful, caring person and a fantastic mother.

My way of stopping the cycle was by not having children so I'm especially admiring of people who have survived toxic parents and have gone on to be GOOD parents. My deepest respect to you all!

That's kind of you to say. I try very hard to be the parent I needed as a child.
I'm very close to both of them. They're awesome 😊❤️

winningeasy · 30/01/2023 19:14

@briarhill

Toxic family = micro cult

MonkeyfromManchester · 30/01/2023 20:27

@Chevyimpala67 excellent plan for Mother’s Day. That SPECIAL day. Drinks all the way.

The heart breaking stories of the preferred grandchildren. Awful.

The Prince Harry book arrived from The Hag. Nope, me neither. Another dysfunctional family.

Today’s gem was Slave Son getting a new car.

Great news, MM to Slave Son.
SS : she's kicked off about it. She doesn't like it. (she's not even seen it)
MM: not your problem, none of her business.

Hag rings TWO minutes later.

He's got a new car.
Yes, great news.
What if I don’t like it?
It's his car.
Well, it arrives on Friday. Sniff. I hope he can take he shopping for clothes.

FFS.

Car-gate will run and run.

Anotherporkypie · 31/01/2023 12:53

@AttilaTheMeerkat
rhank you for your message when I posted about 2 weeks ago . Thanks for the link also. I did look at their website and tried to speak to someone but couldn’t get through.

2 weeks on I have barely had any contact with my parents which is cutting me up since it seems to say to me that they care more about being able to socialise with a paedophile if they want to than being sensitive to me. That really hurts.
I don’t know whether his attitude is down to some dementia- he is 87 with a condition that can lead to dementia attributes and wether like when people are drunk the hidden characteristics get played out when you are free of inhibition. If that is the case I don’t know what to think . Do I give him a pass and put his behaviour down to his long term illness or do I as I have done, call him out on it and face the consequences in this case , the silent treatment from both of them.

I spoke to my brother the other day. He told me 3 interesting things. He had no idea my parents knew about the sexual abuse before 2 weeks ago . He had no idea that the row continued over 24 hours as outwardly my Dad carried in as normal. And he told me in his view my parents had a diabolical view about rape and sexual abuse tending to victim blame more than anything else . Apparently one of my cousins was raped as a teenager and this was how they reacted at the time. Oh and the rape brought shame upon the family.

Anotherporkypie · 31/01/2023 12:58

Sorry for typing mistakes , hopefully it’s readable.

melodyshetland · 01/02/2023 13:16

I'm going to read the whole thread over the next few days, but I've read some of the posts and would like to join if I may. I think it would be helpful to hear of the experiences of others in similar situations.

Briefly. I've been no contact with my mother (and stepfather) for 14 years now. I was physically abused as a child, but that stopped when I was around 18 just before leaving home, and that's not why I decided to go no contact. I haven't heard a word from most other relatives since and they clearly decided to go along with my mother, and so lose contact with DC and me,without asking what happened or to check if we were fine.

Sorry, longer than expected.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 01/02/2023 14:07

Hi Anotherporkypie

re your comments in quotemarks

"2 weeks on I have barely had any contact with my parents which is cutting me up since it seems to say to me that they care more about being able to socialise with a paedophile if they want to than being sensitive to me. That really hurts".

Its not your fault they have decided to not talk to you; that is on them. I would enjoy the radio silence and peace from their witterings. Indeed the whole family image of wholesomeness and appearances along with their own reputation as a family are to them are all important; look at their attitude when your cousin was sexually assaulted. It is all kept quiet and behind closed doors but abuse also thrives on secrecy. They think abuse brings shame to their door and they have and will continue to victim blame. They do not believe that abuse is the sole fault of the perpatrater.

Your abuser was and remains very much a master manipulator. Sometimes, the person who abuses may come across as a model citizen, successful executive, or doting parent, which adds to the confusion. Many abusers also are quite plausible to the outside world.

Other reasons for disbelief may include:
the reputation of the family is at stake
talking about abuse is considered taboo
the person who hurt you is the head of the household
the truth could threaten resources or finances
fear of stirring the pot or breaking up the family unit
other survivors in the family are not ready to speak up
religious expectations around abstinence

"I don’t know whether his attitude is down to some dementia- he is 87 with a condition that can lead to dementia attributes and wether like when people are drunk the hidden characteristics get played out when you are free of inhibition. If that is the case I don’t know what to think ".

I would not put this down to his current ill heath either. He has always thought like this and has been victim blaming his entire life. He was once young and abusive and now he is old, in not so good health and abusive. He has maintained contact with your abuser and originally intended to spend time with him for his significant birthday. People maintaining contact with their child's abuse is not an unknown scenario at all and is likely to be more common than many people realise. Like many toxic parents as well neither of your parents here have at all apologised or accepted any responsibility for their actions.

"Do I give him a pass and put his behaviour down to his long term illness or do I as I have done, call him out on it and face the consequences in this case , the silent treatment from both of them".

Its a no from me to the first part of your above sentence. You're already getting the silent treatment aka emotional abuse from them now as they have not bothered to contact you. There is no real point calling him out on it yet again because he really does not have any empathy or insight. All he'll do is shout you down as he has done before leaving you feeling even more crap. They have failed you and continue to fail as both people and parents.

Do keep trying with NAPAC. Think they also have a chat facility.

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 01/02/2023 14:09

You may also want to read this link too:
stopabusecampaign.org/2019/03/23/reasons-family-members-side-with-sexual-abusers/

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 01/02/2023 14:16

Welcome melodyshetland

So sorry to read what happened to you; the abuse you suffered then was not your fault in any way.

I would maintain you are all far better off without these people in your day to day lives. If your other relatives all too readily believed your mother's version of events without wanting to hear your side of things they are really not worth bothering about.

OP posts:
Anotherporkypie · 01/02/2023 14:34

@AttilaTheMeerkat

thanks . Regarding They do not believe that abuse is the sole fault of the perpetrator.

This is spot on . Also that speaking about abuse is taboo .
And you are right about the status of the abuser . He was a high ranking civil servant who became a local authority councillor when he retired.

My parents were abusers too when we were young. Physical and emotional. Emotional to each other too by way of silent treatment. All wrapped up in their Catholicism too.

Not speaking to each other for days but deciding beforehand to make up at the “sign of peace” at church. It is a dick mind indeed that waits to performance make up rather than making up at the earliest opportunity.

The irony is , that as kids ,we lacked for nothing materially . We were the kids with the new bikes in the street and the best toys, who went on holidays abroad several times a year. Money has been their form of control for many years way into adulthood.

it has only been in recent years that it affected me physically when I suffered from significant psychological affects that also affected my day to day living.

So far I haven’t had a relapse due to this recent episode. This is at the back of my mind since I am now entitled to drive again . Maybe it’s the medication I am on , keeping physical symptoms at bay.

This why your comments have been so helpful to me so thank you again.

Chevyimpala67 · 01/02/2023 20:15

MonkeyfromManchester · 30/01/2023 20:27

@Chevyimpala67 excellent plan for Mother’s Day. That SPECIAL day. Drinks all the way.

The heart breaking stories of the preferred grandchildren. Awful.

The Prince Harry book arrived from The Hag. Nope, me neither. Another dysfunctional family.

Today’s gem was Slave Son getting a new car.

Great news, MM to Slave Son.
SS : she's kicked off about it. She doesn't like it. (she's not even seen it)
MM: not your problem, none of her business.

Hag rings TWO minutes later.

He's got a new car.
Yes, great news.
What if I don’t like it?
It's his car.
Well, it arrives on Friday. Sniff. I hope he can take he shopping for clothes.

FFS.

Car-gate will run and run.

I very much see mil on my terms
She's VERY careful around
Mum was rushed to hospital on Monday night and i'm still catching up on my sleep 😴
She's home but is pretty frail.

Anotherporkypie · 02/02/2023 16:48

My mum just rung me “oh we haven’t spoken for ages , what has happened? “
it wasn’t a long phone call. Apparently there are degrees of sexual abuse. I put the phone down.

So angry right now.

Chevyimpala67 · 02/02/2023 17:11

Sigh. So. As I feared, mum has deteriorated and I arranged a gp home visit today. Been there since 9.30am. Dr phoned hospital and they want her back in for assessment (why? They discharged her with the same symptoms 48 hours ago?)

Dc has the car today and other dc in in a show (his first) and I'm not missing it. So I phoned my brother to see if he and sil could take her in. Got a mouthful in return about asking them to "drop everything"

The bastard. Upshot is sister is taking her in but not replying to my message.

Fuck em. I'm so sick of I'm them. I'm so sick of always being the one who drops everything.

Fluffygoon · 02/02/2023 20:52

I’ve been reading this thread for a while whilst having therapy to deal with impact of years of vile Mil and her youngest vile DD behaviour.

For years they lived very close and and were ‘feeding off each’ other - leaving our kids out and generally shitty behaviour, playing everyone off against other. You all know the games these people play!

Ten years ago MIL moved and with space she and FIL began to see what a nasty piece of work their DD actually is - she treats them as she treats us. MIL has actually shown remorse for her past poor behaviour and we have an OK relationship, sometimes the odd dubious comment but I can deal with it now. There’s also a middle sister who is manipulated by other one.

Here’s the problem- it’s MIL’s birthday coming up and she wants the family together for a meal. Past experience has been her vile DD will sit and talk with other DD and completely ignore everyone else at the table, including my MIL; rolls eyes at everything my DH says; has to boast, brag and put others down; is arrogant and rude to the waiters. Nobody ever pulls her up on any of this- her DH will look up at the ceiling and I come away feeling angry.

DH is happy to go but is determined to call her out on any negative behaviour - any tips from the experts on here would be appreciated!

DuchessOfEndor · 02/02/2023 23:25

I Sent an email to my family telling them I'm queer and don't believe in god. This was about 6 weeks ago. My mom tentatively reached out and we met for lunch about 2 weeks ago. There has been no contact from her since then. This morning I sent a text asking if I could come over for a bit. This was 8 hours ago and no reply or acknowledgement. My dad has not contacted me in any form at all. I'm just looking for your insight here. (During the lunch, my mom asked me if I was going to marry my bf of 7 months whom she has never met. I told her I wasn't comfortable talking to her about stuff like that as she hasn't asked me even one question about him, like, "how did you meet?" Or, "what do you like about him?" So I know she is probably hurt about that.)

Sorry this post just keeps getting longer and longer.

In early December I let my parents know I wasn't coming to the family Christmas party because last year I was the only person out of 4 kids, 2 spouses, & 7 grandkids to not get a present from them. I just couldn't take being forgotten like that again. A few days before the party my mom texted me and was like, "you are not overlooked this year." I let them know that I still would not be coming.

So my mom had asked me to meet for lunch so she could give me presents for me and my son. When I hithome from the lunch, my son had a few presents pertaining to his interests. My mom gave me a box of chocolates (expensive but I don't eat nuts and never have in my life) a box of cookies. A jar of crystallized honey from a store she doesn't shop at (I'm thinking it's a regift) and all of this in a very bright backpack (in her favorite color) that I know she has had for years. I'm just baffled. Is she completely & utterly malicious? Or just a clueless a*hole?

Thelnebriati · 03/02/2023 00:14

DuchessOfEndor Its impossible to work out if people are clueless or nasty - either way, the effect is the same.
My Mum did exactly the same thing to me. To make up for years of neglect, she wrapped up some random tatty old books from her bookshelf as a Christmas present. I'll never forget the way it made me feel. I also have a friend who's family never fail to get her something awful or inappropriate (like booze when she doesn't drink), after years of it she dreads Xmas and birthdays.

ItsCurtainstothat · 03/02/2023 03:56

The too present for me was a Tupperware box of carrots. She reminded me she’d want the Tupperware box back!

ItsCurtainstothat · 03/02/2023 03:57

Top

winningeasy · 03/02/2023 06:53

I got a 20+ year old cheese toastie machine for my 40th!

They are well off as well

Narcs are terrible at presents as they never take the time to get to know what you're into and now they are all getting old they can't get out to the shops and my mum doesn't really know how to buy stuff off the internet

winningeasy · 03/02/2023 06:58

Definitely think very thoughtless / useless present buying is a theme I've noticed with the parents discussed here

I used to make a lot of effort but I stopped recently as it was never reciprocated and I think my mum's a bit miffed. Every year she just wanted to know specifically what I wanted and used to just order stuff off Amazon.

Likewise she didn't get anything for my daughter, one of only two grandchildren she has, for Xmas.... punishment I guess for not taking her to see her or making much effort with them

When I was younger I never got anything I wanted for Xmas, it was always just cheap stuff / tat, and if I needed clothes they were always too expensive. Probably when shopping with my mum twice in my life

AttilaTheMeerkat · 03/02/2023 07:02

winning easy

My MIL did the the self same behaviour re asking what we would like and then Amazon ordering. She’s a narcissist too.

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 03/02/2023 08:06

DuchessofEndor

Narcissists are truly crap gift givers. Narcissists give gifts with an eye to maintaining a relationship with the giver and to maintaining control in that relationship.

Narcissists totally lack empathy, so they don't know what you want or like and, evidently, they don't care either; second, they think their opinions are better and more important than anyone else's, so they'll give you what they think you ought to want, regardless of what you may have said when asked what you wanted for your birthday/Christmas; third, they're stingy and will give as gifts stuff that's just lying around their house, such as possessions that they no longer have any use for, or in really choice instances return to you something that was yours in the first place. In fact, as a practical matter, the surest way NOT to get what you want from a narcissist is to ask for it as your chances are better if you just keep quiet, because every now and then the narcissist will hit on the right thing by random accident.

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