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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

Trying to support a brokenhearted daughter

23 replies

Highlighta · 29/10/2022 13:52

Dd broke up with her bf (19) this morning.

I am so very relieved as he was manipulating her so badly. But she had to see it for herself, although she has, she is properly broken hearted.

This is the 2nd abusive realtionship she has had to end, she is now blaming herself for liking the 'wrong type', and is generally just being really hard on herself.

He had really done a number on her, telling her what she can and can't wear, can and can't do, even approving or disapproving of her profile pictures! The more she tells me, the more my jaw just drops. Until a few weeks ago I thought everything was fine, but nothing has been fine for a while now.

As she opened up to me about him, we discussed it and she said she was waiting for him to break it off. Why, I don't know but I did say that the ball was in her court and it is OK for her to do it. (part of the abuse, he made her feel so worthless she didn't feel she could break up with him). I suggested she think about the position she is in, and that should she decide to, that sending him a message instead of speaking to him may be the best way to go about it. Purely because he is so manipulative that she would not be able to get out what she wanted to say.

So she sent the message. And gosh the backlash from him is just something else. He was completely blindsided, and it's clear he felt she could never do this. But the nastiness in his barrage of responses. Including her being a coward to do it by text. Which I knew would happen.

He then replied along the lines of, 'remember the nicest times we had together... Well I hope you never ever get the chance to experience someone being nice to you again'!! And this is just some of it. She didn't respond to any of it, just blue ticked him. Which sent him into a real frenzy. So after talking all morning, I've managed to convince her to block him on everything. And she found blocking him more difficult that sending the break up message.

As they have mutual friends (actually they are her friends who he has claimed as their friends and she can't even have any friends of her own in his world ) he's now contacted them, and they are contacting dd saying things like he's making threats to harm himself, he's going off it and just seriously ott things like this.

He is really showing his true colours now, but any advice from anyone to help me to help dd get though this. I know it's really raw now, but she is a mess. She is meant to be going to a Halloween party (he won't be there thank goodness) so I'm encouraging her to go to get out the house and it will take her mind off it. She doesn't seem keen on going anymore, so I won't push things and see how it goes.

I know it will take time, but even as a mature adult, I am completely floored by how awful he is being. He really has some serious issues to work through, but as I said to dd, she holds no responsibility there.

(now I have to just be sure she doesnt have a wobble and take him back (she has before) , but one day at a time for now).

OP posts:
Etinoxaurus · 29/10/2022 13:59

Your poor DD and you, you sound like a lovely Mum Flowers
Let her grieve, comfort her and look after her and also plant the seed that it’s great to have experienced this so young, without complications as it’s given her tools to recognise what’s good and bad in a relationship.

FayCarew · 29/10/2022 14:02

Make sure she doesn't unblock him. His MH is not her responsibility.
Encourage her to keep busy and get plenty of exercise. Point her towards the Freedom programme so she can learn to set boundaries - although it looks like she can do that already.
Continue to be theree for her. You seem a great mum. Flowers

tickticksnooze · 29/10/2022 14:05

Would she consider doing the Freedom Programme?

She needs to break this cycle. Meeting other women who've been through it may also help her start to process that she's not the problem.

ThingsIhavelearnt · 29/10/2022 14:05

Ask her if she wants you to have her phone.

report all threats of self harm to the police

pay for her to do the freedom programme and join here for advice

on average I think the woman goes back something like 7 times …. Tell all mutual friends about the abuse and ask them not to pass on messages.
cuddle her take her shopping to the cinema etc

tickticksnooze · 29/10/2022 14:07

The Freedom Programme is free.

Aquamarine1029 · 29/10/2022 14:12

Your daughter desperately needs the Freedom Programme and any other educational material you can get your hands on.

If she were my daughter, I would do everything possible to help her break this pattern of gravitating towards abusive men. She needs to know that women are not rehab centres for badly behaved men and that she will not fix them.

Highlighta · 29/10/2022 14:22

FayCarew · 29/10/2022 14:02

Make sure she doesn't unblock him. His MH is not her responsibility.
Encourage her to keep busy and get plenty of exercise. Point her towards the Freedom programme so she can learn to set boundaries - although it looks like she can do that already.
Continue to be theree for her. You seem a great mum. Flowers

This is my worry that she may unblock him. I will need to check to see if she only blocked or also deleted his number as well.

I know he's blocked in Instagram also, he actually messaged her to tell her to take down all her pictures she posted of them together.... Who the fck does this little twerp think he is. Even controlling what pictures she has on her own Instagram page. So she blocked him there first. But after she took the pics down....

I offered to hold on to her phone, but she says she is going to tell her friends 'her side', but she hasn't yet.

I don't want her to feel I'm checking up on her all the time either, she said she's done talking about it now, but I think I am going to have to bring up to see if she kept his number.

Thank you for the Freedom Programme suggestions. I will talk to her about it, and offer it to her. What I don't want to do it insist she do things (like sending the text and blocking), as I think she has to want to do it iyswim, they have to be her decision.

I really didn't think we would be in this situation again, her previous relationship wasn't great either, and didn't end well and I honestly think this current relationship was a rebound.

Gosh it's hard being a mum sometimes.

OP posts:
sorcerersapprentice · 29/10/2022 14:32

She's got to try really hard not to go back to him. It sounds like he's got quite a nasty and dangerous personality. She's got to stand firm and I've no doubt that will be hard. And it's really manipulative to contact her friends and to try and get them on his side - cutting off her sources of support.

Hopefully someone really nice will come along for her soon.

Highlighta · 29/10/2022 14:37

Aquamarine1029 · 29/10/2022 14:12

Your daughter desperately needs the Freedom Programme and any other educational material you can get your hands on.

If she were my daughter, I would do everything possible to help her break this pattern of gravitating towards abusive men. She needs to know that women are not rehab centres for badly behaved men and that she will not fix them.

I agree, I am going to suggest the programme. She is beating herself now about why she keeps dating dickheads (her words) that always start out nice and end up not nice. But I need her to want to do it, instead of me forcing her to do it. I really am not sure of how to go about it. Maybe I'll send her the link, then bring it up again in a few days. Today isn't the day and she's shutdown on the whole topic now.

She did have therapy sessions after the last breakup, but this is a massive setback I can see.

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 29/10/2022 14:45

The poor thing. You should help her learn about love bombing, what red flags to look for, negging, and gaslighting. Never mind all the other shit horrible men do.

valadon68 · 29/10/2022 14:49

Has she read 'A Woman in Your Own Right' by I think Anne Dickson? It really helped me at a similar age after breaking up with an unkind and damaged man. A fiver on World of Books. It must be tough seeing her go through this, OP, but if she can turn it into a life lesson, it'll stand her in really good stead for later on. It sounds like you're doing all the right things and being a brilliant support.

Highlighta · 29/10/2022 14:53

sorcerersapprentice · 29/10/2022 14:32

She's got to try really hard not to go back to him. It sounds like he's got quite a nasty and dangerous personality. She's got to stand firm and I've no doubt that will be hard. And it's really manipulative to contact her friends and to try and get them on his side - cutting off her sources of support.

Hopefully someone really nice will come along for her soon.

He has some major issues and dd tells me that he smokes weed quite a bit, and his comedown from that, turns him into a nasty piece of work.

This was all news to me today too.

I did ask her if she smoked too when he did, she said she didn't which again was another issue as he wanted her to smoke with him. There is just so much stuff that's come out that is taking a while to absorb it all. Her hiding this side of him for most of the year, has taken its toll on her too. They have both living away from home, not together, but in close proximity, so I didn't see any of this on a day to day basis.

OP posts:
Highlighta · 29/10/2022 14:54

valadon68 · 29/10/2022 14:49

Has she read 'A Woman in Your Own Right' by I think Anne Dickson? It really helped me at a similar age after breaking up with an unkind and damaged man. A fiver on World of Books. It must be tough seeing her go through this, OP, but if she can turn it into a life lesson, it'll stand her in really good stead for later on. It sounds like you're doing all the right things and being a brilliant support.

I will have a look for this book. Thank you for the suggestion.

OP posts:
TheGander · 29/10/2022 15:13

I think it’s really good she’s telling you about this, at her age there must be a lot of internalised shame about being associated with such a dysfunctional man. You must be a brilliant mum supporting her in a non judgemental way. I don’t have a daughter but someone I was managing at work ( much younger) was experiencing something similar, he had a real hold on her, she showed me some of his texts, they were spiteful and really quite bonkers, expressing off the chart levels of distress and making it all her fault. It read like he had a rip roaring personality disorder.

Piffle11 · 29/10/2022 15:24

I was in a relationship like this. I ended it, and he couldn't believe it – he was even telling people that I'd be back. One minute he would be absolutely furious: name-calling, screaming, threats… When this didn't work, there would be tears self-pity and threats of self harm. When he realised I wasn't coming back, he would tell lies about me to mutual acquaintances, I don't think anyone actually believed him.

I think it's important that DD's friends do not contact her about him: would it be possible for her to request this? Or could you do it on her behalf? He is using them in order to try and manipulate your daughter, and they really need to stay out of it.

CafeCremeMerci · 29/10/2022 15:30

@Highlighta

Im sorry she's going through this, poor thing x

after my second break up, what helped me (and did more than once) is knowing that I got through the first one & it won't always feel this awful, & that looking back I'll know I did the right thing.

my mum hadn't had any experience of break ups as she'd been with my Dad since she was 15. So she was hopeless (but not her fault). She thought I should just be 'over it', she went on about what she didn't like about him (everything & actually he was a good guy, we just wanted different things in life), she 'had things to do, not endless time to go over & over it & I needed to stop crying about it!!). You sound much more suited to this!! She's lucky to have you. It's hard though because you want to 'fix it' but knowing when to back off is important too.

Do you know how she feels now about the breakup with the first lad?

Hopefully she'll stay strong enough to get some help with not picking dickheads!!

still learning at 53, though my weak spot is 'sore paws' rather than controlling/abusive twats.

Give her a big Mumsnet group hug!!

Georgeskitchen · 29/10/2022 15:31

Your poor daughter, I really hope she is strong enough not to give in to this nasty specimen and his threats. Could she talk to her friends and ask them to ignore his messages?
As for him threatening to harm himself, this is classic manipulation tactics and highly unlikely that he will
And if he does.......its not yours or your daughter probem

littleburn · 29/10/2022 15:31

Your poor daughter OP. Having been in emotionally abusive relationships myself, I think what she needs to really, really take from all of this is that he IS abusive and his behaviour IS abusive. It's so easy to some extent to normalise this stuff - he was a bit controlling, a bit demanding, but we had good times too - when what you need to do is to call the relationship what it was - abusive. Be that black and white, no grey areas.

emptythelitterbox · 29/10/2022 15:32

Does his parents know he's doing this?

gottastopeatingchocolate · 29/10/2022 16:23

Another resource is "Why Does He Do That?" by Lundy Bancroft. If you Google it, you should be able to find a free pdf version.

Highlighta · 29/10/2022 16:57

Thank you everyone.

So she is going to the party and is getting ready as we speak. One of her friends will be there, one that he messaged. She sent dd a screenshot and he says he doesn't know what's wrong with dd, she's making a huge mistake, she's probably sleeping with someone else and all the usual bullshit they spout. Dd has asked her not to reply to him and she hasn't. She is now in angry mode, hence prompting the going out. So I have asked her to please be sensible (she usually is) but I think having her friends around her is a good thing too.

Does his parents know he's doing this?

I believe they know he has anger issues. His mother has mentioned to me regarding arguments they have had at home and she told me he can be aggressive! (she contacted me previously when he broke up with dd before, apparently they sorted their stuff out.. Sigh.. , she wanted to find out what happened etc as he was very vague with her )

His harming himself was a loose threat (and I'm 100% convinced it's a manipulation tactic), and I considered sending his mother a message regarding it so she is aware. But now I'm thinking I'm going to step back, as she will know about todays break up as he will have told her. And again, like dd isn't there to fix him, I'm not there to help her parent. I have my own child to think of right now and dd knows, and I know he is not going to harm himself.

Gosh I sound so callous I know, but I too am angry now.

OP posts:
Highlighta · 29/10/2022 17:05

She has deleted his number. She did that when she blocked, so she blocked him and deleted. She promised me she didn't screenshot or or write it down anywhere.

I gave her a high five, as I know that was a tough thing for her to do.

It upsets and pisses me off so badly that this is happening. Again. And along with any help I can find for her, I hope she will look back at this one day from a place where she can see and react to a red flag right away. She sees now they were there all along.

OP posts:
Etinoxaurus · 29/10/2022 17:11

I deliver the Freedom Programme and everyone should do it. Fortunately because the material was around when my dcs were pre dating they’ve all read it- boys and girls. They’ve set the bar very high 😂😬
I make a point of advertising it as for ‘all women, we’ve all got friends and sisters’
It’s really important that she doesn’t see this as a failure and she’s more likely to accept crap next time around rather than see herself as someone who is wise and experienced and knows what she has the right to expect.

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