Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

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

Toxic parent expecting me to plan their funeral and administer their will

52 replies

Festiveyulelog · 01/12/2024 23:27

My estranged parent recently offended me by giving me a sealed letter of their final wishes in terms of their funeral wishes and that sort of thing. They have nobody else, so probably just assumed I'd be willing to do it.
They just handed me the sealed document and said open it when they die. They've recently said and done some pretty wicked things and I have absolutely no love or respect for them.
I want to hand the letter back when i see them, saying I'm unwilling to help or have any involvement in seeing that their wishes are honoured. Frankly it's not my responsibility. I'm an only child and there's nobody else who is likely to be willing. But I don't want the burden. I should have said so and refused the letter when they handed it to me. I was just in shock and so offended that I was unable to think clearly at the time.

OP posts:
Cat5689 · 02/12/2024 18:05

I also would open it now. You might have stronger feelings than you anticipate when they finally die and opening it at that time might make things harder for you.

Or get a friend to open it for you. If it is just straight forward funeral arrangements then keep it and pass it all on to a solicitor when the time comes.

I wouldn't send it back. That's just encouraging communication.

I couldn't burn it. Curiosity would get the better of me.

TinyMouseTheatre · 02/12/2024 18:11

perfectstorm · 02/12/2024 11:51

There's no legal duty or obligation on anyone to do anything for someone else's funeral or will. If you hand it back, it's feeding the beast in terms of the dynamic. I'd just ignore it, and move on.

You can't persuade a parent who failed you that badly that they're wrong. If they had the necessary insight, you wouldn't have had to cut them off to begin with. Just move on, and leave the pain and pointlessness behind you.

I've been there. I now have a happy life. I don't hate them - I pity them, actually. And I focus on my own family, and friends, and life, and being happy myself. I think of them less and less, and there's no pain now. I don't think I will feel anything at all when they die, and in that indifference lies freedom.

Just ignore the letter and the history and focus on the future. We get one life, as far as we know, and it sounds like this parent has wasted enough of your tears already.

What a wonderfully insightful post. I've moved from not understanding, to anger and now pity.

I hope that I can get to indifference too Flowers

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread