Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

im going to confront my dad tomorrow am, about issues in my childhood, any tips or advice would be gratefully recieved

148 replies

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 21:23

hi everyone, this is a copy of my post on the toxic thread.

mybackground
well i am one of three, have two older brothers, mum has always prefered the middle one,im the youngest, she really battered my self esteem, she used to tell me she hated me and that i was clean on the outside and dirty on the inside,

sometimes she wouldnt speak to me for days and she'd say you'll need me before i need you [yes i was a child ffs] and when she used to be a bitch to me she used to say yeah you know what you can do if you don't like it.

she has hit me a few times althought there was about 5 times when i was a teenager,for example the last time she hit me i was 18, and we where both in the kitchen and i was probably irritating her, the freezer had a dodgy drawer whick kept falling out, and the drawer fell out when i was getting something out, so she whacked me one in the face, i pushed her off me, she called my dad who pushed me up against the kitchen wall, she then later tried to make out that i nearly broke her finger!

i never once hit her back ive only ever pushed her off me when she was hitting me in the face, and then i get accused of almost breaking her finger.

you know i wish i could of gone back in time and i wouldnt of hit her back, i would of called the police.

i moved out when i was 16, i moved in with a boyfriend for five weeks, i never loved him, it was just a chance to escape, five weeks later i was back home as he had finished with me.

she said it was because the house was flithy [we where only there 5 weeks,and both worked fulltime id been working a month and left home straight away ]and id never keep a man,

when i told mum a few years later that i never loved him i just moved in with him to get away from home, she said i dont believe you as you wouldnt of gone away to paris with him[yes we had a mini trip to paris, so that means i really loved him ]

anyway as the years when by i meet my now dh and moved out aged about 22, she was ok with me really when i left home, like she could tolerate me in small doses, then when i became PG i felt vunerable around her again.

this was when she decided it was a good time to tell me my dad never had any time for me or interest in me.
when i said i didnt believe it was true or that even if it was true, then he never made me feel that way.
she said it must of been because she did a good job of hiding it from me
this is what im going to ask dad about tomorrow

i dint feel upto asking dad about it at that point as i was feeling rough and had bleeding and cramping and thought i was going to have a mc when mum said all this to me, so i didnt feel upto or strong enough the confrontation then but i do now.
this is what im going to ask dad about tomorrow

yes dad never stopped it ,but im not sure that was true, although i have decided im going to confront dad about it, otherwise its always going to make me wonder even after hes dead. and i want to give him the chance to tell me straight.
although it could cause ww3 it has to be done for my sake and dads.

also when i was PG we only told my mum and dad and pil, asked them not to tell anyone,mum had already slatted my other sil for telling everyone that she was PG before 12 weeks,so with my news mum decideds to tell fav sil, and then doesnt tell me shes told her, then when i was on the phone talking to mum about a sugar test she turns round to fav sil who was there at the time oh you never had that did you? so of course im shocked and say so sil knows then does she? then mum turns on me and has a go at me say i think youll find if you told her she would be very understanding in a really pissed off way, and she still hasnt said soryy about that, no im the one in the wrong again

she worked fulltime when i started junior school and never had anytime for me, i got really behind at school yet her and dad had no idea, its not her fault for having to work, it must of been quite hard, but she still could of made time to see how i was getting on at school.

it didnt help that she did stuff like once when i was going to a friends party after school, i said id pop round the neighbours and tell her not to pick me up,as it was the neighbour that used to pick me up from school, mum said no ill tell her, i said oh ive got time ill go round now, no, mum shouts , so anyway guess what mum forgets to tell the neighbour not to collect me so all panic sets out at the school when the neighbout comes to collect me andf im not there, so i end up the next day getting a massive bollocking from the teacher, who said it was my fault.

about three days after i had dd, i had 4 th degree tears, she was nagging me to have a salt bath, i checked with the midwife who said salt bath where not really reccommended these days as there are a bit harsh, when i very carefully told her why i was not having salt baths she got really pissed off and snapped well perhaps women where a bit tougher in my day.[give birth to dd without any pain relief, but yet im a wimp of course]

i tried to avoid the whole subject by saying hmm yes maybe, ok ill think about that etc, but she wouldnt leave it alone until she started asking directly have you had one yet? and i didnt feel comfortable lying.

also when i had to go to my follow up with the gp i was a bit upset as he said i may suffer incontinence in the future as a result of the 4th degree tear, and she said i need to get things into persective in a really nasty stop going on a bout it type way.
and when i had a flashback and thought i was in labout about 4 nights after having dd, the mw was really kind and came and spent about 2-3 hours with me talking though what happened, and said it was normal to get flashbacks after such a traumatic event, it really helped talking it though, and when i said to mum it really helped talking it though she said, i think people talk about things far too much these days. and that you can talk about things too much.
when my cousin was asking me about the birth, and said i was so unlucky with what happened[abouth the 4th degree], mum pipes up well thats just what happened to me with fav son, [no it wasnt it wasnt even a 3rd degree as she did not have to have a repair operation] i just meekly replied well i dont think it was quite the same thing.

when i was struggling to bf, she keep saying that maybe dd wasnt getting enough milk and as dd was a frequent feeder that she should be more content by now one time she actually took her off me and said she doesny want another feed [dd was crying] and said she wants a nap and put her in her pram and started rocking her, dd started crying even more, so i picked her up and fed her. dd was only a few weeks old, what sort of person takes someones NB off them telling them what they want?and she keep telling me the bf is ok if its done discreatly and is not flaunted in public, when as dd was such a frequent feeder i had to feed her in public otherwise i wouldnt of been able to leave the house for 6 months.she say comments like my sil always fed at home as "shes not like that" in other words i was a slut to bf my baby, she does have a lot of issues about bf, and she was really trying to stop me from doing it with she didnt achieve.

anyway i used to have no confidence around my family,but i have changed quite alot since having dd, i was always having others opinions rammed down my throats and mine never getting listened to or even bothering to voice my opinions before[only within my family] never at work or with friends or dh[lucky for me i have a great dh thank goodness and didnt go for someone that was also abusive and would also say nasty things to me which i think quite alot of people with my childhood perhaps would.

i used to be scared id be a crap mum because of my childhood and now i know thats not true and i would never ever say or do those thing to my lovely dd.
its like my biggest fear is gone.

the odd thing is, that mum can sometimes be really nice.

but now if someone in my family tries to tell me something i don't agree with i tell them, and funny enough they have stopped doing it so much.
and thats why ive decided to ask my dad about what she said and tell him about all of the stuff she has said and done.it could cause me never to see them again and if that happens thats ok with me i have a happy marraige and a lovely baby, and its is there loss. or dad could be shocked and horrified i really do not know.i know mum will denigh and twist everything.she has never admitted anything or apolagised for anything in her life.i think she thinks apoalgising is a sign of weakness or something.
but im 30 now and im not having it anymore.

so anyway i decided im going to ask dad if what mum had said about him not having any interst or time or me was true,
i have to ask otherwise it will haunt me for ever and i need to lay this ghost to rest.
i dont thinnk its fair on him or me if i dont ask otherwise i will still be wondering long after hes dead.

i hardly ever get anytime alone with dad, but hes giving me and dd a lift somewheretomorrow and i want to ask him before dd is too old to start to understand and i will probably not get the chance to talk to him alone for a v v long time.
so it now or never
i really hope i dont wimp out.

so got any ideas how i should bring it up with dad??,
i was thinking about saying something like, i need to talk to you about something, its not going to be nice for either of us, but i need to know if something is true or not, notherwise ill will always wonder even after your dead, then proceed to ask him about the comments mum made about him....do you think i should write some stuff down so i dont forget to mention anything?
any help at all will be great.

OP posts:
yetihed · 10/04/2008 21:52

Wow, Lionbeast, what an amazing young woman you are. Sounds like you've had a tough time and come through it all really well. I'm so glad you've managed to break the line of anger which is so easy to pass onto the next generation. Your DD is a really lucky girl.

As for your dad, I would say the main thing has to be to stay calm. There's obviously a danger that he may feel accused and react badly so it may be worth saying that you feel it isn't true and were shocked by what your mum said, but it's bugging you. This will hopefully make him feel less defensive.

Remember he may be taken aback and not give you the answer you're looking for first time! Give him a chance, and by a chance I mean several weeks/ months to come to you with some kind of resolution.

Something you could do is list all his possible responses and how YOU will respond to each of those without it erupting into world war 3. If he says your mum was right, what will you say? Are there other questions you want to ask, like why? Are you thinking you'll have a go at him, or will you just say 'thanks for being honest, at least we get on well now'?

I wouldn't write a list- if he sees a bit of paper, it'll feel like an attack. My suggestion would be not to go into everything all at once, unless that's the way he encourages you to go. Tread softly- if it goes well, you can always come back to it another day- and it'll be easier next time round.

Finally, I would say that before you ask you should CHECK YOUR MOTIVATION. Are you doing it genuinely to put your mind at rest or because you have anger towards your dad that you want to vent? If you're sure you're doing it for the right reasons then it'll be easier to have courage.

HTH. Sorry if it's a bit bossy (!) but honesty seems the best policy for this one.

Monkeytrousers · 10/04/2008 22:00

I dunno.

He's hardky going to give you the answetr you want and may not want to answer at all.

Is confronting him in the car - where he's trapped - a good thing?

Is your dad still with your mum? Do you know anything about his story, as an individual, rather than simply as one half of this bad couple?

I think you want some thing you can't get to be honest, and if you have a good relationshiop with your dad why let your mother poison it?

I think you need to think about this some more, sorry.

Monkeytrousers · 10/04/2008 22:01

How old are you LB?

Monkeytrousers · 10/04/2008 22:04

Sounds like you need to cast your mother loose more than anything and make your own life without her bullying influence. Your dad will still be there. And he will probably understand.

I wouldn't make a drama out of anything though.

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:07

yetihead thanks for your wonderful post,

suppose im doing for two reasons.

  1. so i not left wondering what dad really thinks when hes either too ill to be asked or dead.
  1. and so at least he can never say in the future, he had no idea just how bad mum was, just to inform him really i guess.

i am fully prepared that anything could happen even him saying he doesnt want to say me again.

i will try to go softly softly, i do notg want him to feel im attacking simply trying to ask him for the truth.

if hes says yes its true, i guess ill as why he never had any interest in me.
ill try and think of things to comeback with as i might well get stumped.

this is going to be really difficult for me but i honestly think if io dont do it now, i may never.
and i really dont want to feel all messed up after he dies even if it is true at least i know where i stand.

good point about the paper im going to have to try and memorise it.

OP posts:
lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:09

hi monkey im 30, i understand your pov and i really do not want to fall out with my dad, im going to ask him in my house not the car.

but i honestly dont think i could keep this in for the rest of our lives, i dont think it would be good for me. or even fair on him.

OP posts:
ginnedup · 10/04/2008 22:18

That's a good way to start off. There's no easy way to say it, but I do hope that he is as shocked by it as you were. From what youve said it sounds as if he's just turned a blind eye for the sake of a quiet life, which a lot of dads do.
Good luck.

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:20

thanks ginned up, i really dont want to cause trouble, but i do want to go though the reat of my life never really knowing how he feels about me.
ill post on here tomorrow and let you know how it went

OP posts:
WallOfSilence · 10/04/2008 22:28

Are your parents still together?

Are you sure you won't be starting another row between your parents by bringing something up that your mum most likely said in the heat of the moment to hurt you?

Not that I'm justifying it in any way, but ime you really need to think these things through very carefully before lighting the fuse!

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:31

yes they are still together, well i guess i just feel that i need to know one way or another.
mum was quite calm when she said it all to me.
but that doesnt mean she didnt say it just to hurt me, in fact i hadnt thought of that before.

OP posts:
BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 10/04/2008 22:35

I wouldn't bother TBH.

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:39

why bree?

OP posts:
WallOfSilence · 10/04/2008 22:43

Because you will cause a whole fight over some comment your mother said a long time ago to hurt your feelings that probably isn't true anyway. And if it is true, do you really think he's going to admit it?

BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 10/04/2008 22:44

Let sleeping dogs lie.

When you had your child, did you resolve to be a crap parent ??

Thought not, leave it.

Be angry on your own time, but do not mess up your childrens relationship, unless of course you believe him/them to be capable of physical abuse to your children.

PollyPentapeptide · 10/04/2008 22:44

I think there is a real danger that you would be dissapointed by his response
so you need to prepare yourself for that and think about whether you can move forward.

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:45

it wasnt said a long time ago,it was said when i was PG dd is 9 months

thats the thing i really have no idea which way it gonna go and i dont want to always have it in my head wondering.

OP posts:
BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 10/04/2008 22:46

So you are going to say to him............

It was a Tuesday, the sun was shining... she said that you said, and I said........

He is either going to look at you blankly and it will be genuine, or he will catch on and he will still look at you blankly.

30..such a difficult age.

BreeVanDerCampLGJ · 10/04/2008 22:47

Write a long letter and set fire to it.

PollyPentapeptide · 10/04/2008 22:48

Just wanted to add though, that I know how you feel and I am so sorry you have been through a crap time.

IMO opinion, you should take strength from your relationship with your DH and child and limit your relationship with your parents and ensure it is strictly on your terms from now on.

Your mother sounds hateful - sorry

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:48

polly i am prepared it might not go to well, but i HAVE to do this, i really really dont want to but i cant face the thought of never knowing, i can imagine what it will be like after he dies ill be thinking why didnt i just ask him.

sorry bree dont quite get your point

OP posts:
WallOfSilence · 10/04/2008 22:50

Darling, in the nicest possible way, let sleeping dogs lie.

I had a bit of a 'troublesome' childhood too, which I post about under a diff name so I won't go into details now. So I can say I do know where you are coming from.

All you can do is be the parent to your child that your mum wasn't to you.

Love her, cuddle her, never make her feel like she shouldn't exist. That'll feel better than any confrontation.

FWIW my mum always said my dad wasn't interested in us as children, we were too noisy, but when we reached the age we could communicate etc he was good with us. Maybe this is what she meant but said it in a nasty way?

If you ask me you need to quit contact with your mum for starters. Who needs to be around someone so negative?

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:50

polly

you should take strength from your relationship with your DH and child and limit your relationship with your parents and ensure it is strictly on your terms from now on.

thats what i already do now, and it does help

OP posts:
PollyPentapeptide · 10/04/2008 22:53

If you are prepared for the consequences then go for it. You do deserve an explanation at the very least. I confronted my dad in much the same way and although it effectively ended our relationship for good, it did mean that I was at last able to walk away.

You had a very difficult and worrying upbringing as a result of your mum and your dad failed to protect you. Actually you do deserve some answers but as I said, be prepared for the worst. It depends how bad things were but you may find it quite liberating.

So sorry for you x

lionbeast · 10/04/2008 22:54

dont you think though if i just quit seeing them [they are usually always together] that why tomorrow is propbably the only chance ill have in a v v long time, and i wont talk about in front of dd when she old enough to understand.]

yeah if i just quit seeing them they and everyone else, brother, sils aunt uncles are going to wonder what the hells going on and that perhaps thats more destructive?

OP posts:
frogs · 10/04/2008 22:54

LGJ, I think you're being a bit snotty. Life is often not that simple, and unresolved things can eat away at you.

Your mother sounds a nightmare. Really the kind of parent that you could benefit from not being around.

Is there any way you could have a more open-ended discussion with your dad? Rather than a confrontational: "Mum said you said XYZ", you could try the "I sometimes used to feel that you felt X about me" approach, and see how it goes from there.

Have you read the Toxic Parents book? I do recommend it.

Swipe left for the next trending thread