gosh, don't know where to start really. Here goes..
I think she is controlling, no actually I know she is controlling. When I speak to her on the phone or if she is here or I am at her house I feel like I am 5 not 43.
As a child I used to feel suffocated. I would always have to wear my big coat to school or wear woolly tights instead of socks because she said she knew best. I know most of the time us mums do know best, but I was not allowed to make my own choices. I could not go on school trips away for a few days because she thought something was going to happen to me and same for my brother. She was always the frumpy mum waiting at the school gates and since having my brother and me has always been overweight. She cannot understand why I try and watch my weight and why I wear jeans or thongs, or paint my nails/toenails or want to look nice.
My brother and I were at my parents last weekend and he brought up the subject of us always having to be in early when we lived at home. Yes, I know it was because there was a gap between her going out to work and my Dad coming in from work and she wanted to know where we were, but she jumped on me and I had said nothing.
My poor father - I really feel sorry for him. They are both retired, he drives, she doesn't. He wants to go to the local village over 60's club, she doesn't want to and because of this said he can't. He likes to go fishing, but she moans at this.
She never has a good word to say about anyone or anything.
My parents have been here this weekend, all was going well until yesterday afternoon. She said something which I happened to disagree with and said - she jumped down my throat and said something to the effect of she is the parent and I am the child so what she says goes. Luckily, DH stepped in and said that I was allowed to have my own opinion but she was not happy and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife and it was the same this morning before they left. She had a knee operation last year and has to have help to get in and out of the bath, so Dad went up to help her and came back downstairs. We heard her shout for him, so he went upstairs straight away, was gone for quite a while. When he came down he was visibly upset. I asked what she wanted and he said he is not sure, but went absolutely mad at him for not hearing her the first time and that she could have drowned and then in her rage at him smacked him across the face . He said to me he knows he did wrong, but he hit her back as he is at the end of his tether with her agression.
The last time she came she said something which I disagreed with - it was something really trivial but she had a hissy fit with me and said I had no right to disagree.
It is getting to the point where I don't want to speak to her on the phone or even look at her.
I have to phone her twice a week, always on a Tuesday and Saturday. God forbid if I have not phoned by lunchtime on a Tuesday - she starts phoning me wondering what I am doing or where I am, sometimes I have gone out but I think she thinks I need to phone her first and say I am going out will be back and whatever time and will ring her back then!
Sorry if I am rambling, but after last night with her hitting my lovely dad, I am just so angry.