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Physically attacked my DD16

887 replies

Awfulmother1 · 01/09/2024 09:25

Nc, feel disgusted and hate myself. I seriously physically attacked my DD16 yesterday causing her ear to bleed where she had earrings in. I'm vile, not fit to be called a mother and should have never had children. I'm ruining their lives. I'm a piece of shit.

OP posts:
Honestlyy · 01/09/2024 12:03

Awfulmother1 · 01/09/2024 11:51

I've lost all my confidence. I wouldn't know where to start.

I think you need to leave your husband. You are responsible for your behaviour and seeking help but he stopped you from getting the help you needed for yourself and your children. You should have gone to the inpatient facility, he would have found a way to manage.

He too bears responsibility for what has now happened. It certainly was an act of abuse to prevent your being admitted. If you leave him you can get your head straight and work on healing for yourself and your children .

FusionChefGeoff · 01/09/2024 12:04

Agree with other posters - if you had posted saying your DH had attacked her you would be told to kick him out.

So you need to go; to protect your kids

Startingagainandagain · 01/09/2024 12:04

A few thoughts:

  • you know what you did was not acceptable and you need to seek professional help to deal with your anger and stress
  • it does sound like you are very unhappy and fed up in general with your home situation (your daughter being difficult, your husband not pulling his weight and making it difficult for you to work and have a life outside the house) and everything is getting on top of you
  • at least I commend you for understanding you did something wrong and realising you need help/need to change. I say this as someone who was physically assaulted out of the blue by her father while I was just sitting, reading a book and hit in the face. My mother just watched it all happen and said and did nothing. Neither ever apologised for their behaviour and that became of the many reasons why I cut contact with them in adulthood.

Teenagers will often test your patience but you can never resort to physical violence. So you need to face the consequences of your actions and make some serious changes in your life so you never behave like this again.

Putting · 01/09/2024 12:05

TransformerZ · 01/09/2024 12:00

Seriously divorce him.
Your invalidity pension is keeping a roof over these 💩.
He is stealing from you.
I did wonder why he stayed with you - housework and pension.
You need to leave - your son deserves better, you have money but your husband is stealing it from you.

How Is her husband stealing from her? Surely both adults have a responsibility to contribute to the household financially?

EuclidianGeometryFan · 01/09/2024 12:06

Choochoo21 · 01/09/2024 11:53

You are trying to paint him as an awful person but you choose to stay with him.

You say you have no money to leave because you don’t have a job but then say you don’t need to work.

You are tying yourself in knots trying to justify your behaviour but most of us aren’t that stupid to swallow it and the police/SS won’t either.

You are being horrible to the OP. She is an abused woman who finally snapped after years of horrendous behaviour from her husband, and a traumatic childhood.

Putting · 01/09/2024 12:08

EuclidianGeometryFan · 01/09/2024 12:06

You are being horrible to the OP. She is an abused woman who finally snapped after years of horrendous behaviour from her husband, and a traumatic childhood.

There is never an excuse for a parent to abuse their child, which the OP did by her actions.

Pantaloons99 · 01/09/2024 12:09

OP you might be able to access a separate place of your own ( social housing) with your conditions and so on. I don't think it's a bad idea to reach out for support. Not calling the Police as recommended 🤦‍♀️ Social services won't care much, they see lots worse so I do believe they'd try help you. If you can't leave or escape to hotels etc you don't have many options. Family services might offer you some.

I knew a family of 4 like this. The dad and younger son moved out because the clashing was horrendous with an older teenage boy. The dad confessed to me that he had whacked his son because of the ongoing chaos. He got SS involved himself as he knew it was wrong. Turns out this older son is Autistic. I'm not saying this is happening here but many pearl clutchers today have no clue of the stresses some families endure.

EuclidianGeometryFan · 01/09/2024 12:09

Awfulmother1 · 01/09/2024 11:53

I am signed of work for life. I don't live in the UK. I receive an invalidity pension up to the age of 66 and then I get the oap pension. Its not unusual in my country. The invalidity pension goes straight into an account to pay the mortgage so I don't see a penny of it.

The invalidity pension goes straight into an account to pay the mortgage so I don't see a penny of it.

Do you have access to money for your personal use?
If not, your husband is financially abusing you.
As well as the years of emotional abuse, which your daughters have learned to copy.
You need to get help to get away from him, preferably with your son.

Greencustard · 01/09/2024 12:10

ThorndonCream · 01/09/2024 10:15

My grandmother, when riled by one of her numerous children, was prone to throwing a poker at the reccalcitrant child! They all grew up with excellent reflexes and productive lives. I'm sure she would never have thought of self-reporting herself to the police. She certainly didn't think of leaving the family house. There seems to be a lot of middle-class wokeness on this thread.

My mother attacked me once after several warnings to stop answering her back. I kept going, she flew at me, my sister dragged her off me. I absolutely knew I'd gone too far and never did it again. No trauma, no lasting effects. It was a one off.

Caththegreat · 01/09/2024 12:10

Is it? For gods sake other kids I know do it.

Pimlicopolly · 01/09/2024 12:11

I'm really sorry you're going through this. Here are some things you might try:

  • Take some time to calm down. Give yourself and your daughter space to avoid making things worse.

Acknowledge how serious this fight was. Consider apologizing for your part, even if you were provoked.

Get Help: Family therapy could really help to work through these issues. A professional can guide you and your daughter toward better communication.

Set Boundaries: Talk with your husband about setting clear rules and sticking to them. Consistent consequences are key.

Talk It Out: When things are calmer, try having a conversation with your daughter. Focus on listening to her side without judgment.

Work Together:Make sure you and your husband are on the same page with parenting. If he's too lenient, discuss the need for a united approach.

*Offer Support: Help her with her job search if she seems stuck or overwhelmed. Sometimes teens act out because they don’t know how to move forward.

Plan for Next Time:** Think about how you can handle future conflicts differently, like taking a break before things get heated.

This won’t be easy, but taking these steps might help improve things over time.

ttcat37 · 01/09/2024 12:11

Awfulmother1 · 01/09/2024 10:52

I actually have nowhere to go or no money. I've I had I would go and leave them in peace.

You could go to the police station and hand yourself in…?

TheClawDecides · 01/09/2024 12:11

EuclidianGeometryFan · 01/09/2024 12:06

You are being horrible to the OP. She is an abused woman who finally snapped after years of horrendous behaviour from her husband, and a traumatic childhood.

And how traumatic do you think childhood is for the OP's DC?

Their mum suffers from two mental illnesses and has had a breakdown.

Their dad sounds like he's trying to overcompensate, and gets accused of being the 'fun parent'.

Now they've witnessed/suffered violent abuse in the one place they should feel safe.

This is how/why childhood trauma/abuse repeats itself.

The OP needs to break the cycle and move out, before the decision is made for her.

Northernparent68 · 01/09/2024 12:12

Awfulmother1 · 01/09/2024 09:53

That won't be happening.

as has been said, a man who’d attacked his children would’ve been told to leave. You say you won’t, so what are you expecting from this thread ?

Caththegreat · 01/09/2024 12:12

Finally you said. I totally agree and such behaviour is why teachers suffer too.

DurbevillesGirl · 01/09/2024 12:12

My mum attacked me in a similar way when I was 17. I was just cooking myself dinner and she suddenly leapt at me in anger saying being skinny was all I cared about (I had an eating disorder). My dad kept her away from me by getting in between us after her initial blows but to this day I still see the hatred she had for me in her eyes. I speak to her about four times a year now and I always feel scared to see her. This will never leave your DD’s head but what would have helped me back then is her coming to me and apologising, explaining why she did it/admitting her faults, hugging me. What my mother did was avoid me and scowl whenever she saw me. If you do drink alcohol, stop. Help your daughter find work if she doesn’t know how.

EdithBond · 01/09/2024 12:13

Hey @Awfulmother1

Of course, you know it’s absolutely wrong to be violent to anyone, and especially your kids. That’s clear from your post. You clearly feel terrible about it.

Teenagers can try the patience of a saint. Plus people of previous generations were often threatened with or experienced violent parenting (smacks and ‘clips round the ear’) if we were disrespectful or insolent, so it can be an automatic, learnt response at times of stress. Even teachers used to be violent to kids. Not that it’s an excuse.

What’s done is done. What’s important now is how you move forward. It must never happen again. You must obviously profusely apologise to your DD and tell her you were completely wrong to do it. No excuse. This will teach her violence is wrong and people must take responsibility for their actions.

Then you need to have strategies to avoid it in future. You’ve done the right thing booking therapy. You may want to consider anger management therapy and techniques in the meantime. Such as removing yourself from interactions if you start to feel stressed. I found it helpful to channel my kids’ teachers in being firm without shouting or aggression. Might it also be worth considering if your aggression is menopause-related?

Also sounds like you and your DH need to have a good chat about how to parent as a team. Together, you need to make it clear to your DD that she must have respect for you and your home. As a young adult, she must take responsibility for tidying up after herself, looking after things and doing her fair share of the housework. Because that’s what adults have to do.

With teenagers, if one parent’s left to set and enforce all the boundaries while the other is the soother and protector, that’s not good or healthy. They’ll play you off against each other and it leaves the ‘enforcer’ parent feeling bad, isolated and undermined. It’s both your responsibility.

DyslexicPoster · 01/09/2024 12:13

God what a depressing thread. Imagine if a dad had posted this. Or the child was 14. Or God forbid op had said her dh had done this.

So op started by throwing an object. So it's OK if your being provoked. Some people deserve a good beating. In their own house. As they don't tow the line.

I ( sarcastically) hope your dd learnt her lesson. She will be a better person for your fight. You have taught her what a shit she is.

In the eyes of the law. You was justified.

One fight with your dh wouldn't make him an abuser either by some posters logic. Yet so many woman are told to leave after one punch? What the actual fuck?

LameyJoliver · 01/09/2024 12:14

MsNeis · 01/09/2024 11:47

I very much agree with you. I cannot understand why people come here just to make OP feel worse instead of trying to help.
If they really cared about abuse, they'd think twice about what they write and at least try to offer something useful. It's very disheartening...

Absolutely. Has no one read her posts? It's not ideal but she's posted here, explained and clearly feels bloody terrible. All the nasty cruel posts are just awful

EuclidianGeometryFan · 01/09/2024 12:14

TheClawDecides · 01/09/2024 12:11

And how traumatic do you think childhood is for the OP's DC?

Their mum suffers from two mental illnesses and has had a breakdown.

Their dad sounds like he's trying to overcompensate, and gets accused of being the 'fun parent'.

Now they've witnessed/suffered violent abuse in the one place they should feel safe.

This is how/why childhood trauma/abuse repeats itself.

The OP needs to break the cycle and move out, before the decision is made for her.

Yes the OP needs to move out, to get away from the manipulative and abusive husband - have you read all OP's posts?

Awfulmother1 · 01/09/2024 12:14

EuclidianGeometryFan · 01/09/2024 12:09

The invalidity pension goes straight into an account to pay the mortgage so I don't see a penny of it.

Do you have access to money for your personal use?
If not, your husband is financially abusing you.
As well as the years of emotional abuse, which your daughters have learned to copy.
You need to get help to get away from him, preferably with your son.

The payment goes into an account in my name but the mortgage direct debit comes from that account so I can't touch the money. I don't have access to any money.

OP posts:
Honestlyy · 01/09/2024 12:14

EuclidianGeometryFan · 01/09/2024 12:06

You are being horrible to the OP. She is an abused woman who finally snapped after years of horrendous behaviour from her husband, and a traumatic childhood.

By her own admission she didn't bond with her daughter. She is responsible as she started it! Her 16 year old doesn't sound nice but with those parents it's hardly surprising!

Apileofballyhoo · 01/09/2024 12:14

OP, are you in Ireland? There is so much going on here, but I feel like you are in an abusive relationship and you're so used to it and expect nothing better that you can't see it. I would try women's aid.

TheClawDecides · 01/09/2024 12:15

Greencustard · 01/09/2024 12:10

My mother attacked me once after several warnings to stop answering her back. I kept going, she flew at me, my sister dragged her off me. I absolutely knew I'd gone too far and never did it again. No trauma, no lasting effects. It was a one off.

Except here you are, appearing to tell us you deserved it?

Violence is a choice and as your parent, she should never have chosen it.

Youmwarayoum · 01/09/2024 12:16

LameyJoliver · 01/09/2024 12:14

Absolutely. Has no one read her posts? It's not ideal but she's posted here, explained and clearly feels bloody terrible. All the nasty cruel posts are just awful

I have read her posts. I don’t see her getting advice on how to rectify things. I see her defending her behaviour by focusing on her daughter and husband’s behaviour.

I guess if my manager pushed and pushed me, it would be ok for me to take it out on my kids when I get home right, seeing as that’s the general gist of the ones defending her.

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