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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

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 · 11/04/2008 17:35

How did it go Lionbeast? Did you get a chance to talk?

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 20:20

fecking hell, i can't believe it, i actually did it!.

went really well, so glad i found the guts to do it.

i can now finally rest peacefully.i do not have all these doubts in my mind anymore.

i simply said to dad, im glad ive got a chance to see you on your own as there is something id like to talk to you about.

as i said this dad could see i was upset, had tears welling in my eyes, he just came upto me and hugged me really really tight.
and asked what was wrong.

i said its just something mum said to me when i was PG and i need to ask you about it, as its been bothering me for months now and if i don't ask you i will lways wonder even after your dead, and just wish id asked you.

then i told him that mum said he never had any interest in me or time for me, he looked really shocked and upset, he said it wasnt true and askd me if i thought it was true, i said no i didnt think it was and that i told mum i didnt think it was true, and she then said that she must of done a good job of hiding it from me. and he said hes only worried incase i think its true. he seemed really worried incase i thought it was true . i told him i didnt think it was but i just had to ask him as it had been bothering me ever since and he said "i should think it has". he was really understanding, i explained i felt that it was now or never as ill never talk about it in front of dd when shes old enough to understand.

he really seemed very geniune, he looked upset and shocked he said "i can't think of any reason why she would say that, she must of really had it in for me that day."

i told him i dont want to cause any trouble but that it had been bothering me and he really seemed to understand.
he hugged me althought this conversation and told me it wasnt true and that he was really proud of me and that he loved me.
he said hes only worried incase i think its true, which i told him i did not believe it.

i said that mum said some pretty harsh stuff to me when i was younger like saying she hated me, and that i was clean on the outside and dirty on the inside.
and he just looked sad and didnt comment.
i did not want to go into i felt that he should of really stopped what went on as, that can't be changed now and he was already shocked and upset enough.
yes i know some will say hes just as bad but hes never hit me or said anything abusive to me,
i just told him i loved him too and believed him.

i was prepaing myself for worst case,imagining him to say something like well you where v difficult you know. and not really denighing it,thereby kinda saying it was true . and im v v suprised how well it went.
im really glad i ask as a weight has been lifted
i do not have all these doubts in my mind anymore.

stirling mum thanks for you comments of
"Please ask - dont get to be an old lady and still wish you had had this conversation"
thats the phrase i thought of when trying to bring it up with dad i used that as my motivation.
thankyou so much lilymunster your posts paticuarly helped too.
but thanks for everysingle post as even the ones who thought i should not, do this gave me a chance to prepare.

thank you evreyone for your support it really has given me the boost to go through with this.
yes it was painful for me and dad, it will be much much better for both of us in the long term.

im truely not that bothered about mum anymore i feel past all that and im so happy that i was actually able to ask dad about it.
this time last year i would not of been able to.

im so sorry that any of us have had to go though this type of shit and hope oneday ill be able to help other though something like this.

thank you so much

OP posts:
QuintessentialShadows · 11/04/2008 20:27

Well done to you, I am so glad it went well for you today. I was thinking about you earlier.

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 20:30

thank you for your lovely kind wishes, i always feel touched when anyone on mn thinks of me. so nice of you
so glad i did it

OP posts:
ally90 · 11/04/2008 20:34

AND!!!!!!!!

ally90 · 11/04/2008 20:35
lionbeast · 11/04/2008 20:37

hi ally thank you so much for all your help and support was really hoping you where on here this am. i only dcided about 2 days ago i wantd to talk to dad about this so i didnt have too much time to prepare

OP posts:
windygalestoday · 11/04/2008 20:44

well done for facing your fears xxxxx

NumberSix · 11/04/2008 20:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ally90 · 11/04/2008 20:48

oh feel all tearful now! Thats really nice. So did you hear what you wanted to hear? Or some of it? Of course you don't have to say...just the fact you seem happy is good enough

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 20:48

honestly thank you windy and number six, you probably don't realise how much you have helped me

OP posts:
Monkeytrousers · 11/04/2008 20:49

Thank God for that! That had all the makings of a massive fuck-up.

I?m glad you have the closure you have felt you needed and really hope that this won?t feed any other needling doubts that are crying out for similar catharsis. Your dad isn?t just as bad as your mum and no one should judge him as such not knowing his story ? or even your mums too for that matter. When you can honestly say you don?t care and feel sorry for her ? and without any hint of bitterness - then you will know you are stronger than her. Your dad sounds great ? human, flawed, and great too. The best kind to have I?d reckon ? though I never had one so that?s pure fantasy on my part.

If he tells your mum ? and if they live together I don?t; see how he couldn?t ? be prepared for a backlash, explicit or otherwise, but try to rise above it and I hope you can go on with your own life free of these shadows now.

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 20:57

hi ally, i heard what i wanted to hear and more. its just the look in eye dads eyes and they way he hugged me as soon as he saw a tear well up in my eye.
he actions spoke as loud as his words.

im just so glad i was able to talk to him about it
i feel strong confident and happy.

it was funny as when dad got here he was all smiley and happy and chatting and i thought how am i going to start this up, you know just the opening line of how the hell you bring something like this up?
so i went in the fridge to get dds lunch, and when i had my head in the fridge i was saying to myself youve got to do this for both your sakes and thinking of the line of
"Please ask - dont get to be an old lady and still wish you had had this conversation"
and i must of had my head in the fridge for ages!giving myself a pep talk! dad was staning in the kitchen, thats when i said it as i brought my head out of the fridge!

OP posts:
yetihed · 11/04/2008 21:00

well done lionbeast! good for you! whatever happens now at least you know your dad is with you

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 21:04

thankyou yetihed, i also read you post over and over,i found it very motivational thankyou. and took notice of what you said not to write it down. i think if i had a piece of paper in my hand it would of seemed mor like an attack rather than a herat to heart which is really what it nded up as.

OP posts:
ally90 · 11/04/2008 21:08

That's real bravery...... so hard to get those words out. So happy that it went well for you.

But yes...be prepared for your mum...remember...if she was nurturing and loving you would never be having the problems you have. Just remind yourself of that if there is a backlash...your feelings and needs count!

JossStick · 11/04/2008 21:09

Well done you .

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 21:28

yes ill will be prepred for any backlash.

if my mother tries to tell me, he doesnt love me again or anything, ill just tell her to fuck right off.
i was there we had our heart to heart he hugged me before he even knew what was upsetting me, with a strong fatherly type hug i saw the look on his face and the look in his eyes.
yes hes not perfect, but i know 110% sure he loves me.

i wont ever let her ever put seeds of doubt[or poision] in my mind again.
i was there she wasnt.
hopefully she will not get the opportuinity to say anything like that to me again as im going to make sure whenever i see her,i always have someone with me.
shes never been anything but nice when my dh is around[ funny that!] twofaced cowbag

OP posts:
lionbeast · 11/04/2008 21:29

thanks jossstick

OP posts:
NumberSix · 11/04/2008 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JRocks · 11/04/2008 21:47

Lionbeast I read your thread earlier today and have been wondering how you got on... I just wanted to say well done for finding the courage to say something! I'm so pleased that you got the answers you needed. I hope you continue to feel as strong as you do this evening..

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 22:06

thankyou j rocks,
its funny to think you where thinking of me, but really nice of you to think of me.

blimey the things ive shared with the world wide web since becoming PG!!! lol!,

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 11/04/2008 22:55

EXcellent LB I'm so glad it went well for you. I was so worried it wouldnt.

How's it been left with your dad?

chipmonkey · 11/04/2008 23:15

Lionbeast, so very glad it went well for you. Well done for asking the question!

lionbeast · 11/04/2008 23:20

thankyou vvvqv i really do apprieciate your time.
i could totally se your pov and it helped me prepare at such short notice,

i think lilymumsters post of

"if he does care, she can stop wondering.

and if he doesnt, whats to enhance? she can stop wondering then too.i really think communication, effective communication is the key to solving 99% if not all of the worlds miserys. really and truly. the truth can only hurt so much... and if its really really bad, you can learn to deal wiuth it. but uncertainty? where is there to go with that? and if shes wrong, if he does adore you, wheres the good in you doubting that for the next 20-30-40 years? and beyond the grave..."

that was exactly how i was feel, but stuggling to articulate it

i would of honestly been happier if i found he really didnt care, than all the uncertainy i was feeling.

its been left on good terms with my dad, he was really understanding, when i said i had to ask as it had going over in my mind, he said i should think it has.
he said he couldnt think of any reason why she would say it, other than she must of rally had it in for him that day.

it was so so difficult for me to do this but im so glad i did, know i have no doubts

OP posts:
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