I am an only child with a widowed mum in her 70s.
I love her very much. But she is a nightmare.
She has fallen out with all her neighbours. I only hear her version but according to her they are all weird/ odd/ etc etc. She has fallen out and not spoken to her brother or sister for years. All their fault of course.
The real problem is she has a new partner and they moved in together 3 years ago. In that 3 years he has now fallen out with all of his family and friends. For being weird/odd ( see a pattern here?!) I am 90% sure they are trying to stage an intervention saying my mother is brainwashing him. I really feel so many people can’t be wrong. I have seen my mum tell lies and be manipulative. She adores me hence I feel guilty. They are also very happy together.
In a short burst of counselling, I was told to smile and nod to protect my own stress levels. This has worked in the main, but now I feel I’ve enabled her to be awful to others by not telling her she is bonkers.
I would welcome an outside view on this. I have a wonderful family who support me and respect she is my mum but I suspect think I should distance myself too.