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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

I'm not quite sure what to do about my mother (sorry, bit long)

19 replies

alicecrail · 30/03/2009 14:14

Before i start, this is NOT AIBU so i don't want someone telling me i am an awful daughter, as i am aware of this already, i'm just looking for someone to listen and give me advce if possible.

My Mother is 41 and has just had her 5th child. The child has downs syndrome, but apart from that is perfectly healthy, is feeding well has put on 3lbs since she was born 12wks ago (despite a slow start). My mother is going around telling everyone the baby is completely deaf. She has had no professional telling her this (they told her they would do another test soon, but they are unconcerned). She told me 10 days ago that she thinks baby can hear in one ear as she reacted when my mum sneezed. She has now changed that to "i had my leg against the cot when i sneezed" I know that it sounds like she is having a hard time of it, and i'm sure its not easy, but every time i speak to her she tells me something like "baby has got obvious downs features now" in the same way most mothers would when their child has rolled over for the first time. I am not suggesting having a baby with ds is a bad thing, not in the slightest, my concern is that my mother seems to be enjoying the fact that her child is disabled.

I also have a 7yr old brother who is Autistic (although they have now been told he is NOT autistic) and she was the same with him, encouraging any slight unconventional behaviour, "he can't go anywhere without his coat hanger" and giving it to him when they left the house.

Her sister is also like this and they are constantly talking about the problems/illnesses that their children have almost like they are competing.

I'm very concerned about how healthy this is and i usually try to keep right out of it, but after a chat this morning i feel like i need to speak to someone about it. There is lots more to the story but i have tried to just include the relevant bits.

OP posts:
alicecrail · 30/03/2009 14:25

bump

OP posts:
notamumyetbutoneday · 30/03/2009 15:28

I have no experience at all but I didn't want your post to go unanswered.

her behaviour certainly does seem at best odd, as it would seem unusual that she is revelling in or cultivating the children;s conditions (not sure if thats the right word). You could argue maybe that it is better for her to be like that than to be pessimistic or less loving towards the children because of their special needs?

is there any chance that she is doing this to almost 'jolly' herself along as deep down she is upset and or worried about their health, so is trying to put a positive spin on it?

Jux · 30/03/2009 16:17

I thought what notamumyetbutoneday said.

The alternatives are that she is 'competitive parenting' in a horribly negative way, with her sister as you describe; finally, there is a type of person who is simply not happy with nothing to worry about, no woes etc so they will exaggerate problems and negative possibilities because for some reason they get something out of it. Usually attention, sympathy, help etc which they might not get (or deserve) otherwise.

NotPlayingAnyMore · 30/03/2009 16:37

Hang on - is your brother autistic or not? Was he properly diagnosed? Who has told your mum he's not autistic since then?

What seems like a change of story may be a genuine later realisation that she had her leg against the cot when she sneezed after all.

She shouldn't be telling anyone that her DC is deaf if it hasn't been confirmed though. Sounds a bit Munchausen's Syndrome by proxy to me

Ineedmorechocolatenow · 30/03/2009 16:52

It does sound odd.

My MIL seems a little like this and does relish in the drama or the detail of illness etc. I'd still say it was well-within the range of 'normal' tho. We've taken to just saying 'we're fine' whenever she asks, even if we're all really poorly. The extended family are really close and they all seem to relish in it a little.

My nan isn't happy unless everyone around her is dying (they're not, just her interpretation). She always starts her conversation with how ill she is / grandad is / how they're both at death's door / how grandad wants to commit suicide (even though he completely rubbishes everything she says whenever we're on our own)

This sounds way different to your situation. I agree with Jux in that she seems unhappy unless there is something to worry about.....

Try not to entertain the conversations and just be overly bright and cheerful 'oh well, never mind. Anyway, isn't DS latest development great etc'. I find that really brings a quick end to the conversations.....

Wigglesworth · 30/03/2009 17:58

My mum gets all dramatic with illnesses and goes to the doctor if she farts and it didn't sound right, he must be sick of the sight of her. DS is teething ATM and he is unsettled and wakes at night etc, we give him calpol, bonjela, A and P powders all the usual stuff to help him and she just keeps banging on about taking him to the doctors all the time. I think they would laugh me out of there if I did.
It has got to the point where, like you chocolate, I stop telling her stuff cos she is just so overly dramatic and fussy that I can't be arsed with it.

Wigglesworth · 30/03/2009 18:02

Sorry OP went on a rant there, your Mum must be going through a hard time at the moment and she may just be doing this to make herself feel better. Could you question her the next time she comes out with stuff that isn't true like the undiagnosed deaf stuff? Also agree with not playing, Munchausen's maybe?

TotalChaos · 30/03/2009 18:02

as long as she is being broadly truthful and cooperative with the health professionals, then I suppose how she deals with her kids SN is down to her. At least she's not in denial/refusing professional input etc, could be worse.

TotalChaos · 30/03/2009 18:03

do agree with wigglesworth about questioning her, it should help nip dramatic self-diagnoses in the bud.

FannyJo · 30/03/2009 18:09

My Mum is a bit like this about my younger brother who has ADHD and Aspergers.
I am positive it is because she just wants a bit of sympathy really and a bit of recognition for how well she is coping.
Its very hard to understand how draining it is raising a child with special needs if you are not in that situation and when other people are all breezy about it, it must be tempting to play up the worries and stresses to re-dress the balance of peoples opinions iyswim

bubblagirl · 30/03/2009 18:23

again i thionk its recognition of hard work and pain your going through having to deal with the situation

i found when my ds was first dx with ASD i went on alot as i was unsure of my won emotions and wanted people to pay attention to what i was going through as they seemed to pay more attention to the "normal" children and no longer wanted to know about me or my ds

as time went on i found it wasn't really the case as such it was me needing to be recognized to deal with my own grief of not having a "normal" child to not want my child to have less attention because he was different

maybe her fabricating some truths is a way that she keeps attention on herself and her children so that she doesn't feel she is left out as her children are different if she creates something she is getting the attention she needs to feel normal herself to have someone show her some compassion and friendliness

maybe suggest for her to go to a local sn group to meet with other mums in similar situation so she has like minded people and feels accepted

bubblagirl · 30/03/2009 18:23

won+ own sorry for typos

bubblagirl · 30/03/2009 18:25

how was she with you? if she was ok then it could just be the sn factor needing attention her way of not coping with the reality of it

alicecrail · 30/03/2009 21:49

Thank you all for your replies.
She wasn't really about for me, my dad had full custody of me and my sister was looked after by my nan.
I do worry that it's just a coping strategy, that she's finding it hard but not admitting it. And i suppose at least she is not doing any physical harm, i really just needed to rant and needed the reassurance that i am not going mad.

OP posts:
Ferncottage · 02/04/2009 13:15

Friend having a go at me in her blog
A friend of mine writes a blog. She lives a long way away so I rarely see her at the moment. I was reading her blog and there was a clear criticism of me (no names of course) which was really upsetting. Has anyone else had this happen? She knows I read the blog

Ferncottage · 02/04/2009 13:16

Sorry did not mean to post this here

madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 13:24

fern - wrong thread love.

alice - i think sometimes it's a way of introducing 'the elephant in the corner' lol. so many people steer away from mentioning sn at all, even if it is perfectly obvious, that some people feel the need to go a bit overboard - sort of giving others permission to talk about/ ask questions.

not at all sure that's what's going on here - but quite often at that point in time you only hear half of what the doc says to you anyway. dd2 had about 10 hearing tests before they decided she was just ignoring them rather than deaf lol, but if you just hear 'failed test - book for retry' then that can be interpreted as deaf. kids who have spent time in scbu often seem to zone out noise for a while too lol - all that beeping.

i know i've been guilty of delibrately introducing sn into a conversation where everyone else has been carefully avoiding it for fear of upsetting/ discriminating/ saying the wrong thing...

hopefully she will settle down a bit as time goes on.

madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 13:24

deliberately lol. typo.

madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 13:24

sorry fern - x post!

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