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Xray,
I am sorry that your mother put you through so much bs over a food cart. Ugh is right! Hopefully the flowers that you sent to the woman will not only make her feel better, but will also send a message that you do not condoned this kind of behavior from your mother.
Send you hugs!!!


NHWM,
Yes it is very confusing as a child to see our siblings get special treatment in every form and we got nothing from our mothers, but neglect and abuse. You grow up thinking that there is something wrong with you! I imagine that this is part of our mothers conditioning us to make us believe that we are undeserving of their love; therefore, we must earn it (even though we can never earn it).

My parents took in 3 boys who are brothers. They didn't always stay with us as their grandparents live a few houses down. However, when their grandparents needed a break or the boys just wanted to stay here they were always welcomed. The oldest who was here more times then not was always good to me. Whenever he was around my mother and brother were nice to me. Crazy isn't it? It was like my mother & brother knew that this boy might have told my dad what they were doing to me or something. Anyways, this boy and I became close and I actually thought of him more as a brother than my own. He taught me how to defend myself, to stick up for myself, how to swim and so much more. When he was around my life wasn't so bad, but when he left as he offended did to go live with his dad or grandparents my life went back to crap. All of it was just confusing as a child.

I too, remember people telling me "oh, your the baby of the family...how sweet...you must be getting spoiled!" Man were they wrong!

My brother never liked feeding me either. Sometimes he wouldn't feed me, but make me tell my parents that he did feed me or he would beat me up and he would have because he knew my mother wouldn't have stop him and my dad would have never known! I did always found something to eat from the fridge.
Sending you hugs!
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Jodi, sorry to hear about the latest hysterics. In my experience, it is the sudden high drama of a situation plus you being the first (and only) person your mother grabs hold of to deal with it that makes it such an unhealthy state of affairs. The effect it has on your blood pressure, anxiety and other stress levels is very bad, not to mention the time and energy you have to expend afterwards, in calming down/apologising to all the other people caught up in this melodrama. I'm expecting all of this when mum tries supported living next week, and am stressing about it already.
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Moms 2 day visit went fairly well.

Although there was the usual complaining and nitpicking, I have become better at dealing with her insults.

The real drama happened hours after we took her home!!

She called me to tell me that someone put a heavy desk in front of her door to keep her from leaving her room. Because she left the facility, she now has to isolate for 2 weeks. She said she tried to call someone, but had to leave a message. She was hysterical!!
I made a phone call based on what she told me and the person I spoke with said she was going to call the nursing supervisor at home. Mom called me 4 times in the course of 1 hour, but refused to pull the emergency cord.
Someone finally came and moved "the heavy desk".

Next morning, the Director called me. My Mom had ripped her a new one and this woman was in tears!!
Turns out it wasn't a desk! It was in fact a cart with wheels for the staff to put Moms meals on so they don't have to enter her room due to isolation.

I felt so bad for this poor woman who has worked so hard to keep every resident safe that I sent her flowers hoping it would brighten her day!

Way to go Mom!!! Ugh!!
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Shell,

I had my ups and downs with my brothers too.

I played with my younger brother for awhile when we were younger too.

My oldest brother pulled me in my wagon when I asked him to. He would play catch with my ball too.

When he started using drugs though he stole anything of value.

If you cherished something, you better place it under your pillow or it would be gone to sell for drug money.

The next oldest was awful to me. We were never close.

My cousins that lived with us were nice to me.

My mom ALWAYS took up for my brothers! She NEVER punished them and was annoyed if I said anything to her about them.

Daddy worked a lot, sometimes double shifts so I couldn’t go to him.

My brothers would play ‘Cowboys and Indians.’

They took my favorite dolls, tie them to a chair, scalp them, take mom’s makeup and use it for ‘war paint’ and laugh about it when I would cry.

My favorite stuffed animal (sock monkey) was thrown over the fence where a dog chewed it to shreds.

My bike was ridden recklessly and broken.

Mom would leave me with my 2nd oldest brother when she went to the hospital to see relatives.

She told him to feed me because I wasn’t old enough to use the stove.

I would tell him that I was hungry and he ignored me or told me that I was bothering him.

I ended up eating a few cookies or crackers.

There were tons of things like that. They got to participate in sports, music lessons, etc.

Nothing for me except for a brief time in scouts.

It was terribly confusing to me. I had several chores.

They only had the garbage to put out once a week.

I was taken to horror movies as a very young child because that is what they wanted to see.

I had nightmares! They laughed at me for being scared and called me a baby.

The worst part was everyone told my mom, “Your little girl is so precious. The only girl. She must be the ‘princess’ of the family.”

Yeah, many times I wished I was an only child.
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Lea, Chriscat,
I had wished I was an only child. I have a brother who is 6 years older and we were close when I was little. However, everything change when I turned 7 yrs old. My brother started to shove me, bully me and hit me. My mother would see him do it and say nothing to him. My brother tied me up to the outdoor TV antenna a few times when I was young. Once, I was out there for over an hour and my mother would untie me every time saying nothing to my brother. Growing up, I thought she told my dad and he did nothing about it. By the time, I became a teenager my brother was calling me the worst names and yet again, she did nothing and never told my dad. My brother hates my guts because my mother brainwashed him into hating me. It took my dad to die for me to figure all this out! My brother has had black men threatening me. The last one was this last summer. I was sitting on my step on the side of the house and a black guy on a bike stop at the end of my drive way and asked me if I was "name?" I asked, "who wants to know?" He said, "yeah, your "name" I got you bit@h!" This guy never step foot on my property. I told him I am not your average white girl!!! He said, "he would be seeing me around!" I told him that I look forward to it and I never saw him again! My brother doesn't understand that when I worked in bars I had to deal with black men trying to intimate me and try to get free drinks! However, I now carry a knife with me and I am back to kicking a bag around! My brother wants to hurt me and I never did anything to him because I knew if I did, I would have gotten into trouble with my dad. My brother has egged my Jeep three times, my truck once, and has tried to break into this house twice. We just installed a cameras around the house hoping to catch him. We also have the Ring on the front door! When my SO and I move out we are taking the Ring and cameras with us!! We paid for them and my SO installed them!

Yes, Chris I am figuring things out about my mother. I knew years ago that the roles were reverse, but I didn't know this was a narc thing. I do now! Now when I interact with my mother I do not make eye contact and I talk to her like she is one of those annoying drunks that sit at the bar telling me their problems. I say a lot of yup, you don't say, really, oh that's to bad. It is scary that I can do this without really hearing what my mother is saying and get my timing right and the short answers correctly! I never thought being a bartender would have gave me practice at dealing with my NM!!

"What happens to a narcissist's original victim has set boundaries and is no longer under their control. Do they find a new victim?" I would say, yes, if they can or maybe they curl up and die from boredom!

Lea, That makes since about our mothers detaching from their emotions. I stayed up late last night googling about the different types of NPDs. I have read about them before, but that was years ago and of course, I had no clue that my mother was one!

I have seen shame, pride, and self-hatred in NM. But I have only seen shame a few times. I too see the rage in her. I read that they can't handle life big stresses. But man can they cause them!!!

I know your not an expert. But you do have personal experiences and what you have learned. That counts a lot!

If you Lea, and Chriscat, NHWM, Xray and whoever else comes on this thread hopefully we all can learn from one another. Our stories...our mothers are so similar! I laugh some times when I think about how my mother thinks she is SO DIFFERENT, but she's not...she is like the rest of the narc!!

Thank you for all your support.
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Reading about Aspies, thanks for your discussions.
I know what you mean.
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Piper: We had little to no social life either when I was married to my ex. Don't forget, mine was further 'developed' than yours due to his other schizotypal dx......so he had a huge amount of anxiety/ocd and other odd behaviors thrown into the mix. What made it ok was that he's a good human being and I feel like he truly loved me, and vice versa.......it just became TOO MUCH after a while. I had sacrificed too much over the years as he got worse and worse, refusing to address his issues.

I remember my ex loved to play war games; the board games that had about 1000 pcs. He'd set these games up in a spare bedroom, all over the floor, and then he'd spend an entire weekend holed up in there, playing that solitary game. I could never understand it. Here he was, a 20-something year old, holed up in a bedroom by himself for days on end, fixated on a war game. He had dozens of them, too. I had to force him to come out of there to EAT. No social skills at ALL; he preferred solitary hobbies and introspective thoughts IYKWIM.
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Lea it blows my mind too! Single Aspie men should hang out in support groups for adult children of narcs 😂
Just kidding, but there is some truth to it and we know it.

I can understand why you divorced. There are challenges with these men. I’ve adapted to a near nonexistent couple social life together because my DH doesn’t need or want it at all. I do my own thing sometimes and have a few good friends but he’s not social at all. I’m amazed how he gets along better with my mom than I do, he doesn’t lose his cool like I do, which has been very helpful in this $hit show!
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Lea,

My MIL confided in me that people didn’t understand why she felt as she did about her mom and judged her. People back then thought everyone should automatically love their parents even though they were cruel or had mental disorders. That’s crazy!

Some people thought she was awful for wanting her parents to get a divorce.

I don’t think that she was awful at all. Why stay in a broken marriage?

My MIL knew that she was safe speaking to me and that I understood.

She also knew that I didn’t blab her business to everyone.
We respected each other.

No one should be ashamed of ending a bad marriage.

I wish my grandfather in law in law would have stood up my grandmother in law!

Want to hear something funny? My MIL used to say that she was surprised that she was born. Her mother was not affectionate in the least. She said that her mom must have come home tipsy from a New Year’s Eve party for her to be conceived!

Her mom used to say that she wanted more children but my MIL didn’t believe that.
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Piper,

I wonder how many people who are Aspies aren’t diagnosed or aren’t told by their parents that they are aspies.

I know a woman who has two children on the spectrum, one Aspie, one severe autism.

This mom didn’t even tell her child she was an aspie until she was around 12. She was diagnosed at 3.

She neglected the aspie and was obsessed with her child with severe autism. Of course, he needed a lot of attention but so did her daughter.

The aspie eventually ended up moving to her dad’s house. Her mom and dad divorced when the children were young.

It’s a long story, but she was better off with her dad.

Her daughter is super smart, gifted singer and a soloist at her church.

She thrived after living with her dad. She’s now married with a child of her own and is very happy.
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NHWM: My situation was identical to your MILs. Only child, NM who treated my dad horribly. He was a decent & kind man, but emotionally unavailable. I hated that my mother mistreated him, too, and wished he'd divorce her. Only at the end of HIS life did he refuse to take her crap anymore. It was an awesome thing to witness, but too little too late, unfortunately.

Growing up an only child, and adopted, was extremely isolating and I felt very abandoned. At the same time, it enabled me to become fiercely INDEPENDENT b/c I was able to find joy in the fact that I was NOT of my mother's BLOOD. Proof that some good does come out of every bad situation.

Piper: I find it very interesting what you say about your DH and your sister's DH both having Aspergers. Guess what? I too married a man with Aspergers! We stayed together for 22 years before I divorced him. He refused to get diagnosed for his issues and it all became too much for me to bear. What you say about being 'emotionally flat & unavailable' is 1000% SPOT ON. And, what are the odds now that THREE of us who've had NM mothers wound up marrying THREE Aspie men??????????????????????????????????????

Holy cow. That's all I can say to that.

Anyway, after the divorce, DH did get diagnosed so he could quit his very high paying job and get on disability. He was dxed with Aspergers and Schizotypal. So it wasn't just the one but TWO very difficult conditions he was dealing with, or not dealing with, that led me to divorce him. He had a lot of odd traits, to say the least. I will say, when I was very very sick with asthma in Florida, he packed us up and moved us back to Colo. all by himself. So he was there for me, just not emotionally, you know? We have 2 kids together also.

Blows my mind.
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Lea, I think you were spot on about Shell's mom and the orange sauce comment. I agree that her mom threw the dig because Shell made a nice comment about her dad.

I too read the article you posted, and it was insightful, validating, and ultimately sad.

Here is something that is kind of interesting. I've mentioned before that my DH is a man with Asperger's. I did not know this when we first got together, and it would be many years before I found out there was a name for some of his oddities. A very common Aspie trait is to be emotionally flat, and unavailable. There were times I would question if he really loved me, but then other actions would prove that he absolutely did love me.

My sister also married a man with Asperger's. She also didn't know when she got with him. It wasn't until they had their son, and he was diagnosed that it came to light that my BIL was also an Aspie.

So 10 years into our marriages my sister and I were both learning that we both ended up with Aspie men. What are the chances? Also I should add that the divorce rate for Aspie/NT marriages is sky high. Most people NEED emotional reciprocation in their partner. Yet we have both had long term successful marriages. I'm convinced that it's because we were raised by our narcissistic mother not to expect emotional support.

Don't get me wrong, my husband does support me, but not in an emotional way. I used to wonder how I would feel if something really tragic happened and he couldn't be there for me emotionally, how that would go. Well, this situation with my mother has been HELL and he has stepped up in ways I could not have imagined. I literally could NOT do this at all if he wasn't helping me.
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Also I think it's equally awful whether you are an only child (and the sole target), compared with having siblings (and being the scapegoat). The experiences may be slightly different but the extent of the damage done is probably comparable.
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What I would like to know is what happens when the narcissist's original victim sets boundaries and is no longer under their control. Do they find a new victim?
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Lea,

I can fill you in on having siblings. I often envied ‘only’ children.

My mother favored her sons so I not only had her criticisms but also my brothers who wanted to remain in her good graces.

It’s not uncommon for one child to be singled out.

My MIL had a horrible narcissistic mother. She was an only child.

She felt as if the weight of the world fell on her shoulders alone.

She adored her father who was a kind and loving man.

He begged his wife to speak to a psychiatrist or a priest for help.

She would never go because she NEVER felt that she was at fault.

I always found it so sad that my MIL felt it was her responsibility to cater to her mother’s every whim so her mom wouldn’t lash out at her father that she loved.

Once she confided in me that she would lie in bed wishing that her dad would divorce her mom so her dad could be happy.

He was a devout Catholic and divorce was seriously frowned upon at that time.

I am glad that the church no longer feels as strongly about divorce.

Divorce is now acceptable in situations of abuse, emotional or physical, along with other situations that cannot be resolved with counseling.

Once, she said to me that I was lucky to have siblings. I had to laugh, then I explained how it wasn’t any easier with siblings.

My MIL and I had a lovely relationship. We were able to speak frankly with each other. We understood each other. We learned from each other.

In many ways she was more like a mom to me than my own mom.

She died too young, 68, (Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.) I missed her terribly.

She knew my oldest daughter but died before my youngest was born. She was a fabulous grandmother to my child.
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Shell...... NMs DO feel emotions......but they hate it. So they detach from them and put them on US. I know my mother is an emotional cyclone.......more ups and downs than a roller coaster. And we all know about their rage. Here is a blurb from one of the articles:

They're afraid of emotions.
Narcissists try to boost their self-confidence by imagining that they're completely self-sufficient and unaffected by feelings. They can't feel vulnerable. If they're hurt or upset, they lash out in anger and become condescending, pointing out the other person's flaws.

Narcissism, in both its grandiose and vulnerable versions, is characterized by a constant interplay of excessive pride and shame, two self-conscious emotions.

For my mother, I see either shame, excessive pride or rage......nothing else, really.

The 25 signs of a passive aggressive covert narc is AH MAZING. That's the one I was oohing and aaahing over, saying yup, yup, yup. Sad but true.

Listen, just know that I'm no expert in all this crap myself......just from what I read and learn. Then in talking with others, it all comes together. It's only been maybe 5 years I've realized what's been going on with my NM and I'm 63!!! I have all the patience in the world....because you help me as much as I help you by sharing your stories. It's how we heal, you know?

Chris....yes, now I remember you are an only child too! Lucky ducks the 2 of us, huh? Then I wonder if things may have even been worse if there were siblings we were pitted against. Who knows?
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Shell, it does sound like you are starting to understand the NPD in your mother, and that this knowledge is empowering you. I agree with Lea that you should read as much as you feel comfortable with, and stop for a while if it all gets too much. Remember that you’re trying to deal with and make sense of a lifetime of experiences, so it all takes time and there is a lot to take in. NHWM is right about role reversal in caregiving, and with NPD it is parentifying: at some point during growing up, the child is made to assume the role of parent to the narcissist. I can identify with this. I’ve posted before about trying to adopt the tone of voice a professional caregiver would use, to keep things from getting too emotionally charged. This has helped. I’ve started to take this a stage further, and to try to deal with the narcissistic situation in the same way a medic would treat an illness: analysing the current situation (ie I know what you are), considering the past history (I know what you have done to me), and formulating a treatment regime (I now know how to deal with you). This is my mantra at the moment. And Shell, I can picture your mum giving you the “look that could kill”. I’ve had that a couple of times in the past week, with the scarlet face of suppressed rage and fury. I tell myself “it is her condition, the NPD. I can deal with it and not let it hurt me anymore.”
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Lea,
I read your post about Cognitive dissonance and wonder if that was what I was experiencing when I go back and forth on if it's her or me. The answer would be yes!

I can't even imagine living so secretive. Now I know why my mother never talked about anything of her life as a kid or about her family and More Importantly, why "Everything" is a secret. Everything she eats is a secret! Everything she does is a secret!! Everything she does is a secret!!! I never understood why. Some things she does nobody would even care, but to her it's a secret! Shh Don't tell anyone that I (mother) ate a donut and I think really mother...who cares that you ate a donut! LOL

In my head, if I went back to 1993 (I was in my late teens) I could have told my dad that my brother calls me nasty names and use to bully me and mother did nothing about it. My dad could have change things or at least it would have made him aware that something was wrong. But I think, I think this way pulling the responsibilities on to myself or it is the little girl in me thinking she could have change things if 'only' she would have said something!!! You are probably right...nothing would have changed! Sigh!

I told you about the orange sauce because again, I was wondering was this an example of her forcing her emotions on to me. I really didn't think it was because I gave my dad credit for something, but your right...it is both! Her putting her emotions on me and being a narc.

A month ago, my mother baited me and I took the bait; however, I looked right at her and said, " dad raised a smart, capable, tough daughter. He didn't raise a dumbing." She got so mad her face turned red. If looks could kill I would be dead. I really couldn't understand why she was so mad. I told her before that she raised my brother and dad raised me because she never could be bothered with me. Now, I understand why she was so mad. I walked out of the room thinking "yup, how does that taste!"

I do planing to read the 25 things of Narcissistic people. I know I have the wrong words, but you sent me the link. My plan is to break it down so I won't get to overwhelmed. I have no intention of fixing my mother. I didn't break her and I can't fix her. But I do want to fix myself as much as I can. My dad always said, "knowledge is power." And your right, I do need to learn a narc tactics and what she is doing to me. My dad used to tell me "learn as much as you can about your enemies. You need to know what your up against." I also know that you are trying to help me.

The one thing that I am confused about is...you talk about narc staying detach from their emotions, but from what I have read that narc don't feel emotions the way you and I do. So do narc have emotions and they just try to stay detach? Because I do know that they are not capable of loving anyone or anything!

Thank you. I know I may seem slow at learning all this, but it is just a lot for me to take in. When my dad died it is like my world got turned upside down and I never had a moment to balance myself or even grasp at what is going on around me. Everything has changed in my life and keeps changing and it is like I can't keep up!( So, thank you for being patience with me.💖
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Shell,

You nailed it when you said that you feel like you’re the mom and she is the daughter.

There is definitely a role reversal that happens in caregiving.

I can’t decide if the rebellious behavior is like a defiant toddler or a ‘devil-may-care’ teenager!

Thanks so much for your prayers for my husband.

Lea and Shell,

Lea, you reminded me of privacy issues when you said that your mom had secrets but it seems like they want to know everyone else’s business.

Mom watched the ‘Young and the Restless’ everyday. I used to tell her that just because she enjoyed the drama, it wasn’t real life.

My mom dresses like a soap star. She is super stylish.

She thought I dressed too casually to bring her to the doctor.

She would tell me to comb my hair and put on a little lipstick.

I swear that era ‘Hollywood glamour age’ didn’t even go to their mailbox without makeup!

Does your mom respect your privacy? Mine doesn’t.

My mother in law did not pry at all but my mom will ask all sorts of things.

She used to ask me why some of my friends got divorced. That was none of her business.

I never told her anyone’s personal business and it drove her nuts.
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Shell, you say, "Part of me knows that it is her and not me, But Then there is the part of me saying, "are you sure it's her and not you? " THAT is a good example of the Cognitive Dissonance I mentioned!!!

"By definition, cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort a person feels when he or she holds conflicting beliefs about something simultaneously."

It's OKAY to believe that it's HER and not YOU. Because it IS. The CD feelings cause anxiety, confusion and I hate them. So it's important to recognize them and say AHA! THIS is what I'm feeling and I KNOW it now!!!!

Don't think about your father taking your mother's side...........that's a waste of energy. He would have been there for you as he's been all along had he known what was going on. These women are very secretive. EVERYTHING is a secret to my mother! Even now, at 94, she thinks others are 'snooping' into her business and 'giving her the 3rd degree' trying to pry her 'secrets' out of her. This is mental illness......the best way to look at it. Just like a serial killer is mentally ill, so is a narcissistic person. Not on the same level, but still mentally ill.

You want your youth back etc and to know then what you know now. What would have changed Shell? We were kids. We were a captive audience to mean mothers. We couldn't have escaped. Nothing would have changed. What we can do is try to move forward NOW and live good lives, free from the toxic waste dump that they force on us. I'm a fine one to talk..........I get caught up in my mother's BS all the time. She forces me to feel HER emotions, meaning she'll call me and get ME all hyped up, saying she's dying and so so so sick, etc, so I worry and can't sleep, wind up waking up at 3 am, 5 am, etc. Meanwhile, she's FINE. And I have been left with HER burdens b/c she's heaped HER fear of dying onto ME! Does that make sense? If something was truly wrong, the ALF would call me. I have to learn to let GO of being saddled with HER emotions, and just know that the phone will ring with the NURSE if something is wrong.

When your mother told you your duck sauce was good, you said 'dad would be proud.' You mentioned HIS name, gave HIM credit for something. She didn't like that. So she had to come back and say something mean to make you understand the sauce wasn't THAT good b/c How Dare You Say Something Nice About Your Father; Only I AM Deserving Of Compliments. That's how I read the exchange. Nobody BUT a narc is entitled to a compliment. Your father was nothing but a POS under her feet, as my father was to my mother, and every time I say something nice about HIM, SHE has a fit. Then finds it necessary to tell me something FOUL that HE did to make me 'hate' him, which will never happen. It's HER job to put YOU down; it makes her feel better about HERSELF: The twisted mind of an NM.............it's like a Stephen King novel.

So that insult was a good example of HER making YOU take on her emotions. She feels crappy about herself, so she insults you saying your duck sauce was mediocre. YOU wind up feeling gobsmacked, like whaaaat? Punched in the gut, while she waltzes on upstairs, unfazed, able to stay detached! SCORE! One for NM, zero for Shell. Again, the twisted mind of an NM. UGH.

Don't read the articles I posted links to if you don't feel ready to. Again, take things at YOUR leisure. The idea is to help YOU, not hurt you. Knowledge is power. BUT, if the knowledge is going to make you feel even worse, then take it in small doses, you know? The goal is to finally understand the game that's being played against you and how to counter it. That's all. You're not going to 'fix' her, you're not going to be able to heal a lifetime of suffering either, but the understanding of what's happening leads to developing better coping mechanisms. Making decisions about going low or no contact for self preservation, things like that. Don't feel like you 'have to' do ANYTHING except take care of Shell, ok?
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NHWH,
I have been praying for your husband. I just want to reassure you that I am still praying and believing that God will heal your hubby!

I don't know about you with your mother, but with mine, I felt like I was the mom and she was the daughter!

Your hubby sounds like a wonderful man and both of you are lucky to have eachother!!! Thank you Need for your support! Hugs!!!

Chriscat,
I will put you on my prayer list! Gald to know that I am not the only one who doesn't put up with crap from people except for my mother!!! UGH!! Our mothers must have conditioned us to put up with their bs! I had to make my room a sanctuary because I needed to take better care of myself. I have my own health issues! Hugs!!

Lea,
When you talk about your mother it really sounds like you are talking about mine. Wants to know what everybody is doing, trusts nobody, but mine really never bothered with me. She ignored me most of the time. But she loves to throw out those false I Love You! Thank you for the prayers. I am very worried about my sig-other. Hugs!!!

I want to thank all of you for your support!💗💖💞
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Thanks, Chris

Breaking things into manageable components is smart.

I tend to get ahead of myself sometimes, instead of living in the moment.

I feel anxious but I am hopeful.
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Shell,

I always say that I want a time machine too.

I would need my husband and kids to go back with me.

I grieve for lost years too.

I wish we could all go back to 2019 when there wasn’t any Covid here.
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Lea,
Thank you for validating my feels!
I know intellectually that if my dad knew what my mother was doing to us kids he would have thrown her out on the street so fast it would have made her head spin! He hated liars, thieves, users, and abusers! But there is part of me that thinks he would have taken her side. My dad, like yours worked 14 to 16 hrs a day and had no clue what she was doing!

Part of me knows that it is her and not me, But Then there is the part of me saying, "are you sure it's her and not you? How could she have hid who she was for Decades?" But I do know that there are people who hid who they are for decades. Look at the Serial Killers who were married with kids and how they went out and killed people. I mean Really!!! These men were going to school plays, working and having cookouts and no one knew that they were killing people. It is sad that my mother can be compared to serial killers! I remember having friends that thought I was so lucky to have a great mom!!! Little did we all know the truth!!

The funny thing is, I don't want my mother back...not even the mother I thought she was...I want my years, youth, and my energy back! I want back what she has taken from me! I want to jump in a time machine and go back to 1993 knowing what I know now!!! But DON'T WE ALL WANT THAT?! Maybe not that year!! But wishing we did things differently!! I know that is not going to happen!!!

On Christmas day, I made my dad's duck with orange sauce. My mother said, "my orange sauce was good." I said, "yes it is. Dad would be proud." Later that night, she looked at me and said, " your duck was great, but your orange sauce was ok...I had better." She went up the stairs leaving me standing there like "WTH" just happen? And it got me thinking...did she feel bad for whatever reason and now she wants me to feel bad? My answer to myself was "Yes!" I didn't! She can say what she wants, but I know I am a dam good cook and my orange sauce was awesome if I say so myself!

So here is a dumb question, how does someone make someone feel their emotions? Take on their emotions? My mother is always trying to make me feel like crap about myself by saying things like "your gray is showing and man do you look old!" Or your not that smart! Your cooking is ok! Are these the things she thinks of herself, therefore, she wants me to believe these things about myself?

I do plan to read the articles that you have posted, but part of me is scared! Scared that it will be to much...that my anger will be to much. I know I seem like a nice person and I am, but I can be a hothead! My anger can and has gotten the best of me! I am just scared that I will read something and it will be the straw that broke the camels back!!☠ She has done so much to me in the last 5 yrs that I really am surprise that I haven't lost my temper yet!!! I guess, kicking a bag around helps!!!!

Thank you so much for your help! You have done so much for me!💞
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Lea, yes it's all a bit much. I'm an only child too, so am the sole target like you. Good to hear the staff at your mum's place are aware of her behaviour - hopefully that makes you feel a litte less isolated?
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Shell, funny how you don't take any bad behaviour from anyone except your mother. Me too - I've never taken any c**p from anyone - except my mum! Sounds like your room is your sanctuary, it's good you have somewhere safe you can go. A movie and chocolates sounds perfect. I am envious - chocolate never lasts long in our house and I've already polished off the few chocolate presents I received this Christmas....
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Chris, I'm sorry you're going through such pain; bad enough the physical, but add the emotional on top of it. I'm glad you are able to emotionally detach, but still, it's all too much after awhile, isn't it?

My mother is/was the smothering type; the false "I love you" statements followed by the opposite actions and rages, etc. Senseless, and extremely confusing to a child and even an adult. She has to be involved in everything; allows no privacy, there is no trust, no boundaries, nothing. She always feels like she's being denied 'information' and we're keeping her in the dark. Trusts nobody; everyone is out to get her. Just a strange combination of traits to deal with.

The mind games she plays with me now are outrageous; but she lives in Memory Care & I fact check EVERYTHING she says, which is 90% lies. The staff is onto her games at the MC also, and they know she's an attention whore. She's 'dying' every day of her life (94 in Jan) yet there's nothing wrong with her besides dementia and neuropathy. I keep contact to a minimum, and the fact checking helps me sort the bull from the sh*t. I am her only real target b/c of being the only child! So lucky me, huh? Ha.

Shell: sending up prayers that you and SO can get OUT of there SOON, and that his BP problems are remedied with the meds. They are pretty inexpensive, fortunately. Your plan for this evening sounds relaxing! :)
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ExhaustedPiper,
I just woke up thinking how mean my mother's mother (grandma) was to my mother and how mean my mother is to me; furthermore, how I have NEVER let people abuse me in anyway and yet, I let my mother do it to me, not really knowing at the time, but I do now and I can't leave yet...that is all I want--to leave! I am so angry with myself for putting myself in this awful position!! Every bad relationship I have ever had I left. I didn't care about the "I'm sorry or gift, or whatever the guy said," I left and never looked back! I have the Gift of Goodbye!! However, I can't just leave and every cell in my body is saying, "LEAVE, IT'S NOT SAFE HERE!!!!" But I have to get my ducks in a row and that takes time and money! Rent is way to high here now and my state has a program to help low income people with down-payment, but it can take years and I don't have years!
I had to take my sig-other to the hospital Sunday and he has no health insurance so there is more of our saving gone and he has to see his Dr because he has now high blood pressure and will need meds, which is more money gone! Not all of this is his fault and it's not my fault either. I always cook and we eat healthy. Does he like his chips and sweets--yes! But he really doesn't go over! Sigh!
Anyways, back to my point, it seems like every sense I decided we were moving out everything is happening to us to lose money and not be able to save any! Heavy sigh!!! I do visualize that my sig-other and I are living in another house and my mother is GONE!!

Chriscat,
Talk about things replaying over and over again that is what I have been going through! It stops for awhile then BAM! It starts up again! Thank you for bringing that up, so I know I am not the only one who this is happening too. I think this year has been harder on me because of the Covid. We were not able to do day trips or anything. I loss my seasonal part-time job because of the new owners didn't want to pay us our full amount and I wasn't going to do the work and make half the money. In fact, they only wanted to pay us Gas money that's it! 10 of us walked out!! That job gave me time away from my mother and I loved that job! It gave me a breakdown! Now we are in our winter months which can last 9 months!! Ugh!!
My mothers negative energy is so thick you can cut it with a knife! I do have my bedroom, which I can lock the door and light my candles and surprisingly it feels calm compare to the rest of the house! But like I told Piper I just want to leave! I will do something nice for myself tonight! After my sig-other goes to work it will be time for me to go to bed and I will sit in my room with my little Christmas tree lite up and watch a good movie and eat Hershey's kisses! I will probably listen to a sermon or read the Bible! I know this doesn't sound like much, but it makes me feel better!! I can image that I live somewhere else!!!

Thank you so much Piper and Chriscat!💗💗

Hugs!!!
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Lea, you are a mine of useful information! I hadn't heard of Compassion Fatigue but looking it up I can relate to the feelings of emotional numbness. As for Cognitive Dissonance, I recognise that struggle between what you want to believe vs the reality. My mother has never said she loves me so at least I'm not confused in that area. In fact, a few weeks ago when she was in full rage mode and I had bad joint pain flare up, I needed to calmly ask her to stop as I felt so unwell. I said "I know you don't really care about me but I am feeling unwell and need to take a rest." She half heartedly said "I do care" but it was so unconvincing I knew she didn't mean it. If someone really loved you then at this point they would tell you so. Today the joint pain has been bad again and I could hardly walk, so I couldn't drive us to do our weekly shop. My husband took her instead. All she was interested in was what time they were going out. There was no concern for how I was feeling or whether she could help, even a simple gesture like offering to make a cup of tea when she was making one for herself. Thankfully this kind of thing no longer upsets me. I've become emotionally detached from her now, and that is much better for my mental health. Lea, try to detach from the mind games if you can, then you will be a less attractive target.
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Lea,

Thanks for prayers. She has had hospice for several months now.

It’s been a little over a year since she moved out.

Sometimes we all need help. I hope that I can be gracious receiving help.

I am not a good patient in the hospital. I am the person that asks to go home everyday.

A bathing suit works! I love the idea of water shoes for your mom.

That is brilliant! You should tell the administration of the facility about that idea!
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