Guest guest Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 More ridiculous, self-serving blather from a hysterical BPD. I'm sorry she's twisting the facts all over the place, but I believe you -- you don't have to justify yourself. She's purposely twisting things so that it reflects better on her, so, hard as it is, you'll have to just let her think what she thinks. Oh, and I made the same mistake of confiding in my mother, too. You can forgive yourself for that -- there are those pockets of time where we told ourselves " Hey, she's not THAT bad! " Then we get burned later. Again, forgive yourself. I wouldn't argue point by point with her, and I don't like how she's manipulating you into calling her back, either (We won't stop calling until you tell us to!). That's just a trap to get you to call her back and then she'll pounce. You could do one of several things: 1) Have your husband call back and briefly ask her to honor your wishes and not call and leave messages anymore; 2) Have your husband call, acting like HE got the message off voicemail, asking you to indeed honor your wishes and not call -- you'll call when (and if ever!) you're ready. Thanks so much, BYE. CLICK. 3) You can decide you're not going to give in to her demand of " Tell us you don't want us to call or we won't stop. " , and you can hit delete and just forget about her until she calls again. 4) You can call her and say " Yes -- I don't want you to call anymore. " IGNORE whatever she throws at you (her REAL goal -- to get you on the line), and say politely " Here's your notice: please don't call and leave long messages on our phone. Don't call. Bye. CLICK. " (or whatever words that apply -- you know what you want to say). Hang up EVEN IF SHE'S STILL TALKING. If she furiously dials you back, have your husband answer it. He can talk over her ranting, too -- completely ignoring whatever blather she's putting out, while he says " That's right -- we'd like you to respect our wishes. Thanks. Bye. " CLICK. The important part of ALL of your options is this: don't give her a forum. That's what she wants -- and you CAN'T argue or reason with a hysterical BPD. This really isn't about each issue she's bringing up, point by point -- it's about denying her the right to screech at you. She doesn't have that right. Continue to politely and calmly hang up. Remove the payoff. After having said all that -- I'm sorry you're going through this. Tough it out -- you'll be glad you did. Enlist your husband -- change your number -- do whatever you need to do to let her know you're not going to take this anymore. Alway polite but firm and resolute. -Kyla > > Hi everyone, > > Sorry to post on here so much today, it just seems like the demon in > my mother has been unleashed and is showing no mercy. I thought if she > was faced with the possibility of cancer, she might improve. WRONG! > Things have gotten so much worse... > > Nada called again this morning, and I didn't answer. A couple of > minutes went by and no beeping to signify a voice mail, so I figured > there wasn't one. Wrong again! It was a FIVE minute message, and so > terribly harsh, I feel like I never even knew her. But it was so > familiar, that I know that it's the same nada it's always been. > > She said several terrible things, but here's the gist of it: She's > very hurt I haven't called, she still doesn't know the test results, > why can't I put things aside while she's having such a hard time? She > wanted me to know that there are consequences for my actions (but > apparently she thinks this doesn't apply to her?) and that someday > I'll have kids and they'll do things to intentionally hurt me and be > mean to me, they'll want nothing to do with me. (Hurts even worse > because we've been trying for a year and still haven't gotten > pregnant.) She said she " knows about the sweet litle (note mocking > tone here) letters you've been sending to your grandparents " (fada's > parents). She says I'm only doing this to hurt her because I wanted > nothing to do with my grandparents when I lived near them, and now I > do. Newsflash: I started sending letters back and forth with my > grandparents right after we got married a year and a half ago, and I > only started standing up to nada in early August. And every time my > grandparents came to visit, I talked to them the entire time, instead > of hiding in my room like my younger brother did. But he's the angel. > Also, I listened to nada rant and rave about how terrible my > grandparents were since a very young age, probably 6 or 7, maybe 8, > and when you're enmeshed, you can't see that the BP is the one with > the problems, everyone else is (supposedly). > > The real clincher was when she said, " I don't know how else I'm > supposed to feel about your husband when all you used to do was call > me and keep me on the phone for 2 and 3 hours at a time complaining > about how miserable you were. " (I guess she felt she needed to say > this because I accused her of not liking my husband, and that's what > made me finally stand up to her. So she's admitting that she doesn't > like him and, basically, that she wasn't trying to get to know him > better and like him more, though I doubt she realizes it. I should > also add that she used to call ME and complain to me about how she > didn't feel good, or had another fight with my dad, is mad at my > grandparents, ask 20 gazillion nosy questions, etc., and I never could > get her off the phone. One time when I wouldn't answer the phone, she > threatened to call the police and have them come make sure I was okay. > I wouldn't answer the phone because I was PAINTING the house. For > crying out loud.) Yes, I made > the mistake of talking to her about my husband and I's arguments for > the first six months or so after we got married (a year and a half > ago), but after Thanksgiving of last year, I stopped because I > realized she was trying to hurt my relationship with my husband. Ever > since then, except for a possible slip like 8 months ago, if I > " complained " about anything, it was that I was lonely because I have > had a really hard time meeting people in this area. So to top > everything off, I think she's trying to break up my marriage. > > After she says all this crap, she says, " You know, I don't want to say > anything I'll regret in a voice mail. We can't work this out if we > can't talk. " And ends the conversation with, " I love you. " > > She's half crying, half yelling through all of this. I just hate her. > I said this morning I want her to go away, well now, I am done. She > just told me that she doesn't like my husband and doesn't see how > she's supposed to, doesn't see a reason to. Well, fine. > > She says that if we want her and my dad to leave us alone, we just > need to tell them. But we have to tell them, or they won't leave us > alone. That's what she SAID. Can you believe it? > > Please help me. If I was within physical distance right now, I think > I'd shake her. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 Oh, and next time, hit delete without listening to the message! -Kyla > > Hi everyone, > > Sorry to post on here so much today, it just seems like the demon in > my mother has been unleashed and is showing no mercy. I thought if she > was faced with the possibility of cancer, she might improve. WRONG! > Things have gotten so much worse... > > Nada called again this morning, and I didn't answer. A couple of > minutes went by and no beeping to signify a voice mail, so I figured > there wasn't one. Wrong again! It was a FIVE minute message, and so > terribly harsh, I feel like I never even knew her. But it was so > familiar, that I know that it's the same nada it's always been. > > She said several terrible things, but here's the gist of it: She's > very hurt I haven't called, she still doesn't know the test results, > why can't I put things aside while she's having such a hard time? She > wanted me to know that there are consequences for my actions (but > apparently she thinks this doesn't apply to her?) and that someday > I'll have kids and they'll do things to intentionally hurt me and be > mean to me, they'll want nothing to do with me. (Hurts even worse > because we've been trying for a year and still haven't gotten > pregnant.) She said she " knows about the sweet litle (note mocking > tone here) letters you've been sending to your grandparents " (fada's > parents). She says I'm only doing this to hurt her because I wanted > nothing to do with my grandparents when I lived near them, and now I > do. Newsflash: I started sending letters back and forth with my > grandparents right after we got married a year and a half ago, and I > only started standing up to nada in early August. And every time my > grandparents came to visit, I talked to them the entire time, instead > of hiding in my room like my younger brother did. But he's the angel. > Also, I listened to nada rant and rave about how terrible my > grandparents were since a very young age, probably 6 or 7, maybe 8, > and when you're enmeshed, you can't see that the BP is the one with > the problems, everyone else is (supposedly). > > The real clincher was when she said, " I don't know how else I'm > supposed to feel about your husband when all you used to do was call > me and keep me on the phone for 2 and 3 hours at a time complaining > about how miserable you were. " (I guess she felt she needed to say > this because I accused her of not liking my husband, and that's what > made me finally stand up to her. So she's admitting that she doesn't > like him and, basically, that she wasn't trying to get to know him > better and like him more, though I doubt she realizes it. I should > also add that she used to call ME and complain to me about how she > didn't feel good, or had another fight with my dad, is mad at my > grandparents, ask 20 gazillion nosy questions, etc., and I never could > get her off the phone. One time when I wouldn't answer the phone, she > threatened to call the police and have them come make sure I was okay. > I wouldn't answer the phone because I was PAINTING the house. For > crying out loud.) Yes, I made > the mistake of talking to her about my husband and I's arguments for > the first six months or so after we got married (a year and a half > ago), but after Thanksgiving of last year, I stopped because I > realized she was trying to hurt my relationship with my husband. Ever > since then, except for a possible slip like 8 months ago, if I > " complained " about anything, it was that I was lonely because I have > had a really hard time meeting people in this area. So to top > everything off, I think she's trying to break up my marriage. > > After she says all this crap, she says, " You know, I don't want to say > anything I'll regret in a voice mail. We can't work this out if we > can't talk. " And ends the conversation with, " I love you. " > > She's half crying, half yelling through all of this. I just hate her. > I said this morning I want her to go away, well now, I am done. She > just told me that she doesn't like my husband and doesn't see how > she's supposed to, doesn't see a reason to. Well, fine. > > She says that if we want her and my dad to leave us alone, we just > need to tell them. But we have to tell them, or they won't leave us > alone. That's what she SAID. Can you believe it? > > Please help me. If I was within physical distance right now, I think > I'd shake her. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 You've got to be ready for it, but here's a " script " that could work, too: You dial her up to let her know you don't want her to call anymore... Her: " Hello? " You: " Hey mom, just calling to let you know I don't want you to call and certainly don't want 5 minute messages left on my phone... " Her (launching into the script she wants b/c she's got you on the phone, finally!!!): " Well, I don't know what's so hard about you calling me every once in awhile. I might have cancer you know.... (still talking......) blah, blah, blah... " You (interrupting her): " So, you said you wanted me to call and let you know I don't want you to call anymore -- and certainly not to leave these long messages anymore. So, here's the notice you asked for....And according to what you said, you won't call if I ask you not to. So, just doing like you asked. Thanks, Bye " CLICK Even if she's still talking, don't let her bring up another subject - - the subject of your call is the " notice " she asked for. Keep it on the subject, then hang up -- yes, even if she's still talking. If that pisses her off enough to get her to harrass you by telephone, consider changing your number. -Kyla > > > > Hi everyone, > > > > Sorry to post on here so much today, it just seems like the demon > in > > my mother has been unleashed and is showing no mercy. I thought if > she > > was faced with the possibility of cancer, she might improve. WRONG! > > Things have gotten so much worse... > > > > Nada called again this morning, and I didn't answer. A couple of > > minutes went by and no beeping to signify a voice mail, so I > figured > > there wasn't one. Wrong again! It was a FIVE minute message, and so > > terribly harsh, I feel like I never even knew her. But it was so > > familiar, that I know that it's the same nada it's always been. > > > > She said several terrible things, but here's the gist of it: She's > > very hurt I haven't called, she still doesn't know the test > results, > > why can't I put things aside while she's having such a hard time? > She > > wanted me to know that there are consequences for my actions (but > > apparently she thinks this doesn't apply to her?) and that someday > > I'll have kids and they'll do things to intentionally hurt me and > be > > mean to me, they'll want nothing to do with me. (Hurts even worse > > because we've been trying for a year and still haven't gotten > > pregnant.) She said she " knows about the sweet litle (note mocking > > tone here) letters you've been sending to your grandparents " > (fada's > > parents). She says I'm only doing this to hurt her because I wanted > > nothing to do with my grandparents when I lived near them, and now > I > > do. Newsflash: I started sending letters back and forth with my > > grandparents right after we got married a year and a half ago, and > I > > only started standing up to nada in early August. And every time my > > grandparents came to visit, I talked to them the entire time, > instead > > of hiding in my room like my younger brother did. But he's the > angel. > > Also, I listened to nada rant and rave about how terrible my > > grandparents were since a very young age, probably 6 or 7, maybe 8, > > and when you're enmeshed, you can't see that the BP is the one with > > the problems, everyone else is (supposedly). > > > > The real clincher was when she said, " I don't know how else I'm > > supposed to feel about your husband when all you used to do was > call > > me and keep me on the phone for 2 and 3 hours at a time complaining > > about how miserable you were. " (I guess she felt she needed to say > > this because I accused her of not liking my husband, and that's > what > > made me finally stand up to her. So she's admitting that she > doesn't > > like him and, basically, that she wasn't trying to get to know him > > better and like him more, though I doubt she realizes it. I should > > also add that she used to call ME and complain to me about how she > > didn't feel good, or had another fight with my dad, is mad at my > > grandparents, ask 20 gazillion nosy questions, etc., and I never > could > > get her off the phone. One time when I wouldn't answer the phone, > she > > threatened to call the police and have them come make sure I was > okay. > > I wouldn't answer the phone because I was PAINTING the house. For > > crying out loud.) Yes, I made > > the mistake of talking to her about my husband and I's arguments > for > > the first six months or so after we got married (a year and a half > > ago), but after Thanksgiving of last year, I stopped because I > > realized she was trying to hurt my relationship with my husband. > Ever > > since then, except for a possible slip like 8 months ago, if I > > " complained " about anything, it was that I was lonely because I > have > > had a really hard time meeting people in this area. So to top > > everything off, I think she's trying to break up my marriage. > > > > After she says all this crap, she says, " You know, I don't want to > say > > anything I'll regret in a voice mail. We can't work this out if we > > can't talk. " And ends the conversation with, " I love you. " > > > > She's half crying, half yelling through all of this. I just hate > her. > > I said this morning I want her to go away, well now, I am done. She > > just told me that she doesn't like my husband and doesn't see how > > she's supposed to, doesn't see a reason to. Well, fine. > > > > She says that if we want her and my dad to leave us alone, we just > > need to tell them. But we have to tell them, or they won't leave us > > alone. That's what she SAID. Can you believe it? > > > > Please help me. If I was within physical distance right now, I > think > > I'd shake her. > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 Kyla, Thanks so much for your encouraging words. They remind me that I'm not crazy, that there really is something wrong with her. A big something! I thought about deleting the message without listening, but I actually am glad I listened to this one. I needed to actually hear her say that she doesn't like my husband. We've suspected it all along, confronted her about it, and told her that her actions don't reflect what she says, but ultimately, I needed her to just admit it. And she did, and I guess that helps me feel better about feeling the way I do. It helps me know even more that all of this isn't some big confusing mix-up, like fada keeps saying. And it just showed the extent of how much she does not care about either of us, only about herself. I didn't think of, " You have to tell us you want nothing to do with us, " as manipulation, but once you said that, I can totally see how it is. Thanks for telling me. I agree- she's just trying to get me on the phone so that she can carry on, make me feel FOGgy, and manipulate me into being " normal " again. No thanks. I'm contemplating sending a letter or email, a very brief and curt one, stating that I don't wish to have contact with them anymore. I'd also like to stand up for my husband and for my grandparents. It's not fair to either of them the way she's treated them. I know it's not fair to me either, but she has put down all of us and I have had it. I know that I don't owe her any explanations, and I don't plan to. However, I have tried stating over and over again, " Make me choose you or him, and I choose him, Mom. I'm NOT choosing you. He is my HUSBAND. " But she still doesn't get it. And she comes back and says she's not making me choose. I feel that if I ignore all of this, she'll just keep on, but if I tell her I don't want anything to do with her anymore, I'm honestly afraid she won't quit then either. And I feel a deep need to stand up for my husband. He never did a thing to them besides marry me, and apparently, that's the world's greatest sin. I feel a need to stand up for my grandparents too, because I love them, and they're the only " normal " extended family I have on my side. Nada actually threatened my grandmother several months ago that she wouldn't let them see me because my grandmother said something she didn't like. Like that's for her to say, and how dare she say that to an 80-year old woman? Why not just say, " I don't appreciate the way you're talking to me, and if you don't stop, you'll need to leave. " ? Thanks for letting me know you've been there too. I do feel so guilty for ever telling her a single thing, and I'm afraid she'll use every last ounce of it to try to break my husband and I apart. That's what makes me hate her so bad. I know it's wrong and I shouldn't hate, I'm a Christian for crying out loud, but how dare she do that to another human being? She's so angry that honestly it's scaring me. I'm glad we don't live close because I'm afraid of what she might do. I was never physically abused as a child, but I remember a few times where she was a little more forceful than was probably necessary. I think it was my first day of high school, would have been 7 years ago now, she was running late and I was really nervous and was trying to talk to her about something. I was 14, so maybe I was being a pain, I don't remember. All I remember is that she grabbed me by the shoulders, pushed me up against the wall, and shook me and screamed in my face. Then she just walked off. No apology or anything. She sounds so angry and like she hates me so much on the phone that I'm scared of what she'd try to do in person. And saying that someday my kids will hurt me intentionally and be mean to me and hurt me too, what would she do to make them hate me if she was ever allowed to be around them? It terrifies me. I guess I'm just terrified that now she's going to try to make my life hell, in the parts that she hasn't already, and get to me where she can hurt me even more deeply. I won't let her do that. And my husband knows what a crock she is, he'd stand by me. It just hurts and scares me. I'll try to stop blaming myself. I know that if I hadn't ever told her anything about my husband and I's personal business, she would've found something else to use as ammunition. I just gave her a little extra, and now I'm paying for it. But I didn't know at the time what I was doing. At least now I know, right? I think I may just change my phone number. Thanks for all the encouragement and enlightenment. ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. Make Yahoo! your homepage. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 Don't be sorry , We are all in this same boat with you, The final fight for me and that made me go NC was exactly what you have written here. My nada accused me of avoiding her phone calls and having my boys lie to her on the phone....both which were not true....but because I didn't call her back and because my son told her I was in the shower, I was having them lie and was avoiding her phone calls. Ok mom!?!? Unlike the truth.....which was I WAS IN THE SHOWER and I forgot to call her back because I WAS BUSY with 3 kids and all that. She called me and told me that " you are having your kids lie to me " and " one day your kids will lie to you and then you will see what it feels like " ....because..... " turn around is fair play " . All this and with the ugliest, nastiest, scariest voice ever. What garbage.....its the same garbage she has been cramming down my throat for years, its called FOG......fear, obligation, and guilt. And what do you know.......it has worked!!! That is until now....... Sorry that you are going through this . Call her back and tell her NO MORE CALLS MOTHER, and cut your loses, she is doing all this for face and so she can say she " tried " .....if she was normal she would let you work it out and hope and pray that you would come back to her, she would also apologize......but she isn't normal......and you and I both will never get that apology we are warranted. Let us know what you decide, drlingirl > > Hi everyone, > > Sorry to post on here so much today, it just seems like the demon in > my mother has been unleashed and is showing no mercy. I thought if she > was faced with the possibility of cancer, she might improve. WRONG! > Things have gotten so much worse... > > Nada called again this morning, and I didn't answer. A couple of > minutes went by and no beeping to signify a voice mail, so I figured > there wasn't one. Wrong again! It was a FIVE minute message, and so > terribly harsh, I feel like I never even knew her. But it was so > familiar, that I know that it's the same nada it's always been. > > She said several terrible things, but here's the gist of it: She's > very hurt I haven't called, she still doesn't know the test results, > why can't I put things aside while she's having such a hard time? She > wanted me to know that there are consequences for my actions (but > apparently she thinks this doesn't apply to her?) and that someday > I'll have kids and they'll do things to intentionally hurt me and be > mean to me, they'll want nothing to do with me. (Hurts even worse > because we've been trying for a year and still haven't gotten > pregnant.) She said she " knows about the sweet litle (note mocking > tone here) letters you've been sending to your grandparents " (fada's > parents). She says I'm only doing this to hurt her because I wanted > nothing to do with my grandparents when I lived near them, and now I > do. Newsflash: I started sending letters back and forth with my > grandparents right after we got married a year and a half ago, and I > only started standing up to nada in early August. And every time my > grandparents came to visit, I talked to them the entire time, instead > of hiding in my room like my younger brother did. But he's the angel. > Also, I listened to nada rant and rave about how terrible my > grandparents were since a very young age, probably 6 or 7, maybe 8, > and when you're enmeshed, you can't see that the BP is the one with > the problems, everyone else is (supposedly). > > The real clincher was when she said, " I don't know how else I'm > supposed to feel about your husband when all you used to do was call > me and keep me on the phone for 2 and 3 hours at a time complaining > about how miserable you were. " (I guess she felt she needed to say > this because I accused her of not liking my husband, and that's what > made me finally stand up to her. So she's admitting that she doesn't > like him and, basically, that she wasn't trying to get to know him > better and like him more, though I doubt she realizes it. I should > also add that she used to call ME and complain to me about how she > didn't feel good, or had another fight with my dad, is mad at my > grandparents, ask 20 gazillion nosy questions, etc., and I never could > get her off the phone. One time when I wouldn't answer the phone, she > threatened to call the police and have them come make sure I was okay. > I wouldn't answer the phone because I was PAINTING the house. For > crying out loud.) Yes, I made > the mistake of talking to her about my husband and I's arguments for > the first six months or so after we got married (a year and a half > ago), but after Thanksgiving of last year, I stopped because I > realized she was trying to hurt my relationship with my husband. Ever > since then, except for a possible slip like 8 months ago, if I > " complained " about anything, it was that I was lonely because I have > had a really hard time meeting people in this area. So to top > everything off, I think she's trying to break up my marriage. > > After she says all this crap, she says, " You know, I don't want to say > anything I'll regret in a voice mail. We can't work this out if we > can't talk. " And ends the conversation with, " I love you. " > > She's half crying, half yelling through all of this. I just hate her. > I said this morning I want her to go away, well now, I am done. She > just told me that she doesn't like my husband and doesn't see how > she's supposed to, doesn't see a reason to. Well, fine. > > She says that if we want her and my dad to leave us alone, we just > need to tell them. But we have to tell them, or they won't leave us > alone. That's what she SAID. Can you believe it? > > Please help me. If I was within physical distance right now, I think > I'd shake her. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 -- you wrote: " It helps me know even more that all of this isn't some big confusing mix-up,like fada keeps saying. " My fada does that, too! He kept saying " We've got to solve these problems! " Like it's something you hash out over the dining room table, or something. And I noticed he doesn't say ANYTHING like that to the real source of the trouble: Nada. The REAL translation of that is " Just shut up and get with the program, like I've always done! " I'm glad you listened to that message, too. If you need to, keep it around for awhile to remind you of the woman from Oz that you're dealing with. In the same vein, I'm actually glad my dad wrote that nasty e-mail last week -- it FINALLY relieved the escalating tension, and showed what REALLY lies beneath the surface. Like I've shared here, I tend to feel sorry for him -- I'm now learning (from that fabulous book " Leaving Home " ), that feeling sorry for him is a defense mechanism I developed to feel that he's my ally -- when he's not. He's HERS. But as a kid, you tell yourself things to survive. My mom was a total shit about my husband, too -- and the boyfriends that came before him. (They're probably STILL thanking their lucky stars they dodged that bullet!) My husband was a prime candidate -- someone every parent would want their daughter to marry. And he's been a great, loyal, steadfast husband for 20 years. I'm sure yours is great, too -- especially for hanging in there with a nada like yours! Stand up for whomever you want -- I think that's a great idea. Then, at a time of your choosing, clamp the communication shut. And so she knows a few things you shared in confidence about your husband -- just shrug your shoulders and say " Oh well. Live and learn. " Forgive yourself. Oh, and the first day of high school -- shoving you against the wall and screaming at you? Yes -- she's definitely not mentally stable. I guess, in hindsight, I was lucky: My mother never dragged her lazy butt out of bed to be with us in the morning. I still remember getting ready in the stillness of the morning. I had been doing that for years. How nice it would have been to have a " normal " mother who cared about sending me into the world with a warm, full belly and kind words. Anyway -- your post sounds like you're coming around. Your pistons are firing again, and you're making action plans. We knew you would -- Good for you! Love, Kyla > > Kyla, > > Thanks so much for your encouraging words. They remind me that I'm not crazy, that there really is something wrong with her. A big something! I thought about deleting the message without listening, but I actually am glad I listened to this one. I needed to actually hear her say that she doesn't like my husband. We've suspected it all along, confronted her about it, and told her that her actions don't reflect what she says, but ultimately, I needed her to just admit it. And she did, and I guess that helps me feel better about feeling the way I do. It helps me know even more that all of this isn't some big confusing mix-up, like fada keeps saying. And it just showed the extent of how much she does not care about either of us, only about herself. > > I didn't think of, " You have to tell us you want nothing to do with us, " as manipulation, but once you said that, I can totally see how it is. Thanks for telling me. I agree- she's just trying to get me on the phone so that she can carry on, make me feel FOGgy, and manipulate me into being " normal " again. No thanks. > > I'm contemplating sending a letter or email, a very brief and curt one, stating that I don't wish to have contact with them anymore. I'd also like to stand up for my husband and for my grandparents. It's not fair to either of them the way she's treated them. I know it's not fair to me either, but she has put down all of us and I have had it. I know that I don't owe her any explanations, and I don't plan to. However, I have tried stating over and over again, " Make me choose you or him, and I choose him, Mom. I'm NOT choosing you. He is my HUSBAND. " But she still doesn't get it. And she comes back and says she's not making me choose. I feel that if I ignore all of this, she'll just keep on, but if I tell her I don't want anything to do with her anymore, I'm honestly afraid she won't quit then either. And I feel a deep need to stand up for my husband. He never did a thing to them besides marry me, and apparently, that's the world's greatest sin. I feel a > need to stand up for my grandparents too, because I love them, and they're the only " normal " extended family I have on my side. Nada actually threatened my grandmother several months ago that she wouldn't let them see me because my grandmother said something she didn't like. Like that's for her to say, and how dare she say that to an 80-year old woman? Why not just say, " I don't appreciate the way you're talking to me, and if you don't stop, you'll need to leave. " ? > > Thanks for letting me know you've been there too. I do feel so guilty for ever telling her a single thing, and I'm afraid she'll use every last ounce of it to try to break my husband and I apart. That's what makes me hate her so bad. I know it's wrong and I shouldn't hate, I'm a Christian for crying out loud, but how dare she do that to another human being? She's so angry that honestly it's scaring me. I'm glad we don't live close because I'm afraid of what she might do. I was never physically abused as a child, but I remember a few times where she was a little more forceful than was probably necessary. I think it was my first day of high school, would have been 7 years ago now, she was running late and I was really nervous and was trying to talk to her about something. I was 14, so maybe I was being a pain, I don't remember. All I remember is that she grabbed me by the shoulders, pushed me up against the wall, and shook me and screamed in my face. Then > she just walked off. No apology or anything. She sounds so angry and like she hates me so much on the phone that I'm scared of what she'd try to do in person. And saying that someday my kids will hurt me intentionally and be mean to me and hurt me too, what would she do to make them hate me if she was ever allowed to be around them? It terrifies me. > > I guess I'm just terrified that now she's going to try to make my life hell, in the parts that she hasn't already, and get to me where she can hurt me even more deeply. I won't let her do that. And my husband knows what a crock she is, he'd stand by me. It just hurts and scares me. > > I'll try to stop blaming myself. I know that if I hadn't ever told her anything about my husband and I's personal business, she would've found something else to use as ammunition. I just gave her a little extra, and now I'm paying for it. But I didn't know at the time what I was doing. At least now I know, right? > > I think I may just change my phone number. > > Thanks for all the encouragement and enlightenment. > > > > > > > > _____________________________________________________________________ _______________ > Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. > Make Yahoo! your homepage. > http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2007 Report Share Posted November 26, 2007 Thank you, thank you, thank you Kyla! That's all I can say. I'm so fuming mad - thanks for reminding me that's a GOOD thing. I needed to hear that. Re: The final blowup - I HATE nada -- you wrote: " It helps me know even more that all of this isn't some big confusing mix-up,like fada keeps saying. " My fada does that, too! He kept saying " We've got to solve these problems! " Like it's something you hash out over the dining room table, or something. And I noticed he doesn't say ANYTHING like that to the real source of the trouble: Nada. The REAL translation of that is " Just shut up and get with the program, like I've always done! " I'm glad you listened to that message, too. If you need to, keep it around for awhile to remind you of the woman from Oz that you're dealing with. In the same vein, I'm actually glad my dad wrote that nasty e-mail last week -- it FINALLY relieved the escalating tension, and showed what REALLY lies beneath the surface. Like I've shared here, I tend to feel sorry for him -- I'm now learning (from that fabulous book " Leaving Home " ), that feeling sorry for him is a defense mechanism I developed to feel that he's my ally -- when he's not. He's HERS. But as a kid, you tell yourself things to survive.. My mom was a total shit about my husband, too -- and the boyfriends that came before him. (They're probably STILL thanking their lucky stars they dodged that bullet!) My husband was a prime candidate -- someone every parent would want their daughter to marry. And he's been a great, loyal, steadfast husband for 20 years. I'm sure yours is great, too -- especially for hanging in there with a nada like yours! Stand up for whomever you want -- I think that's a great idea. Then, at a time of your choosing, clamp the communication shut. And so she knows a few things you shared in confidence about your husband -- just shrug your shoulders and say " Oh well. Live and learn. " Forgive yourself. Oh, and the first day of high school -- shoving you against the wall and screaming at you? Yes -- she's definitely not mentally stable. I guess, in hindsight, I was lucky: My mother never dragged her lazy butt out of bed to be with us in the morning. I still remember getting ready in the stillness of the morning. I had been doing that for years. How nice it would have been to have a " normal " mother who cared about sending me into the world with a warm, full belly and kind words. Anyway -- your post sounds like you're coming around. Your pistons are firing again, and you're making action plans. We knew you would -- Good for you! Love, Kyla > > Kyla, > > Thanks so much for your encouraging words. They remind me that I'm not crazy, that there really is something wrong with her. A big something! I thought about deleting the message without listening, but I actually am glad I listened to this one. I needed to actually hear her say that she doesn't like my husband. We've suspected it all along, confronted her about it, and told her that her actions don't reflect what she says, but ultimately, I needed her to just admit it. And she did, and I guess that helps me feel better about feeling the way I do. It helps me know even more that all of this isn't some big confusing mix-up, like fada keeps saying. And it just showed the extent of how much she does not care about either of us, only about herself. > > I didn't think of, " You have to tell us you want nothing to do with us, " as manipulation, but once you said that, I can totally see how it is. Thanks for telling me. I agree- she's just trying to get me on the phone so that she can carry on, make me feel FOGgy, and manipulate me into being " normal " again. No thanks.. > > I'm contemplating sending a letter or email, a very brief and curt one, stating that I don't wish to have contact with them anymore. I'd also like to stand up for my husband and for my grandparents. It's not fair to either of them the way she's treated them. I know it's not fair to me either, but she has put down all of us and I have had it. I know that I don't owe her any explanations, and I don't plan to. However, I have tried stating over and over again, " Make me choose you or him, and I choose him, Mom. I'm NOT choosing you. He is my HUSBAND. " But she still doesn't get it. And she comes back and says she's not making me choose. I feel that if I ignore all of this, she'll just keep on, but if I tell her I don't want anything to do with her anymore, I'm honestly afraid she won't quit then either. And I feel a deep need to stand up for my husband. He never did a thing to them besides marry me, and apparently, that's the world's greatest sin. I feel a > need to stand up for my grandparents too, because I love them, and they're the only " normal " extended family I have on my side. Nada actually threatened my grandmother several months ago that she wouldn't let them see me because my grandmother said something she didn't like. Like that's for her to say, and how dare she say that to an 80-year old woman? Why not just say, " I don't appreciate the way you're talking to me, and if you don't stop, you'll need to leave. " ? > > Thanks for letting me know you've been there too. I do feel so guilty for ever telling her a single thing, and I'm afraid she'll use every last ounce of it to try to break my husband and I apart. That's what makes me hate her so bad. I know it's wrong and I shouldn't hate, I'm a Christian for crying out loud, but how dare she do that to another human being? She's so angry that honestly it's scaring me. I'm glad we don't live close because I'm afraid of what she might do. I was never physically abused as a child, but I remember a few times where she was a little more forceful than was probably necessary. I think it was my first day of high school, would have been 7 years ago now, she was running late and I was really nervous and was trying to talk to her about something. I was 14, so maybe I was being a pain, I don't remember. All I remember is that she grabbed me by the shoulders, pushed me up against the wall, and shook me and screamed in my face. Then > she just walked off. No apology or anything. She sounds so angry and like she hates me so much on the phone that I'm scared of what she'd try to do in person. And saying that someday my kids will hurt me intentionally and be mean to me and hurt me too, what would she do to make them hate me if she was ever allowed to be around them? It terrifies me. > > I guess I'm just terrified that now she's going to try to make my life hell, in the parts that she hasn't already, and get to me where she can hurt me even more deeply. I won't let her do that. And my husband knows what a crock she is, he'd stand by me. It just hurts and scares me. > > I'll try to stop blaming myself. I know that if I hadn't ever told her anything about my husband and I's personal business, she would've found something else to use as ammunition. I just gave her a little extra, and now I'm paying for it. But I didn't know at the time what I was doing. At least now I know, right? > > I think I may just change my phone number. > > Thanks for all the encouragement and enlightenment. > > > > > > > > ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ ____________ ___ > Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. > Make Yahoo! your homepage. > http://www.yahoo. com/r/hs > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Good thing you aren't in shaking distance then. Not that a shaking would do the slightest good. Hi, new to the group. I just felt the need to respond to this post because I went through something similar with my mother. And yes, I'll call her " mother " because in spite of everything, she actually was a mother to me...at times. She was always pretty whacked, but it's actually been the last ten years (since my stepfather finally dumped her, and her parents died) that she's really gone to hell in a handbasket. I was (and am) sympathetic to her problems, but then she started trying to drive a wedge between me and my husband, by trying to alienate my husband's family. That's where I drew the line. For the past 6 years, I have been on limited contact (LC, is that what you all call it?) I only communicate with her by letter and I still send her a card on Mother's day and her birthday. It's still rough at times. I still get a knot in my stomach when I see a letter from her. And I still feel guilty several times a day when I think of her. (I try not to think of her very often.) Anyway, I just wanted to say that there's only room for two in a marriage, and in spite of what your nada might try to tell you, (from her warped perspective) your first priority is to your husband. Never forget that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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