HomeâForumsâRelationshipsâStruggling in feeling love for my mother
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August 8, 2016 at 5:03 pm #111933
CLB
ParticipantHello Struggling. I have a lot of the same issues with my mother…although she doesn’t pull the “pity me” card.
She is a kind person, but is fundamentally selfish. For my own sanity I have had to distance myself both physically and emotionally. Recently I started doing EFT so I could get rid of some of the negative emotional blocks I have regarding my issues with her and I’m finding more peace.
I would suggest the following: 1. You can’t give what you don’t have so pretending won’t help. 2. Find a way to set some boundaries so you can give ONLY that which you are capable of giving; 3. It sounds like you all sort of enable her behavior so maybe think about whether this is really serving her or if you have all fallen into this trap; 4. How she treats your father is not your issue, your problem or your responsibility as he is a grown man.
Overall, just accept she is NOT the mother you want her to be. She will NEVER be the mother you want her to be. Do the best you can with what you have and what you can give.
I limit my time and my conversations with my mother. I am not at a point where I can trust her to really be there emotionally. But, she does the best she can and I have to accept that this is all she is capable of. It sucks. But, its life and if you keep trying to be somewhere you aren’t you’ll just keep being pissed at yourself. Forgive. Forgive her and forgive yourself. BUT….that doesn’t mean give her anything and everything that makes her feel comfortable. Figure out what you need to keep the relationship at a place where you can handle it. Trust me…I get it. I don’t want to feel the way I do toward my mother, but it is what it is and healing takes a long, long time and sometimes never comes. Good luck đ
August 8, 2016 at 7:56 pm #111955Anonymous
GuestDear Choccoffeewine:
You wrote: ” Raised with the belief we are supposed to love and respect our parents, no matter what”-
Children automatically love their parents no matter what, no matter who the parents are. And we are raised to continue to do so… no matter what.
But if nature took it upon itself to protect you from the distress of loving your mother by numbing your feelings for her, then take nature’s numbing-mercy with gratitude and don’t struggle to love her. You are numb for a reason- loving her is harmful to you.
anita
August 9, 2016 at 7:29 am #111981Inky
ParticipantHi Choccoffeewine,
In our subconscious mind where Mythology resonates, there dwell The Perfect Beneficent Parents. Most of us try to live up to the Great Mother or Great Father Archetype. Your dad, for example, made a good attempt. Your mom didn’t even try. Now, we still have The Archetype that lives in us. And all we can do is forgive our bumbling, imperfect parents for fulfilling, say, 10% of it (they kept us alive after all).
I would stick to a schedule (say, visit her every month and call once a week. And answer texts and calls etc. after 5).
And I would also Throw Money At It.
When everyone calls you screaming, say, simply, “OK, I’ll call tomorrow and will see you next week!”
When your mom throws you a laundry list of chores, errands, etc., say, “I hired this local girl to do that for you.”
You are changing The Script. You are holding fast to your Boundaries. You are Managing everyone else’s Expectations.
This is The Gift your mother is actually giving you!
Blessings,
Inky
August 9, 2016 at 7:55 am #111986Peaceatlast
ParticipantHi, Choccoffeewine,
I’m sorry so much of your life has been like this. In dealing with a couple of siblings who are similar to your mother, I found that learning how to deal with a “Narcissist” gave me the insight I needed. YouTube has some therapists who make no bones about what drives their behavior, how to and how not to manage them, and the backlash to anticipate. I also agree with the suggestion above that you and your sister can provide Mom with phone numbers of service-for-hire people she can call to do her bidding. Screen your calls. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message. If the message is just more of the usual, delete it and don’t respond. This is loving yourself, your family, and your siblings, and it’s allowing Mom to finally take responsibility for her choices. Good for you, you’re doing the right thing by establishing your boundaries.August 9, 2016 at 9:29 am #111994Amanda
ParticipantI’m not a therapist, but I have dealt with similar issues with my own mother. Given my experience, and what I read from you as well as other books on the subject, I believe your mother may be a victim of NPD- Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Iâll provide you with some resources at the end of this that I believe you may get some insight, if not help, about NPD. YOU ARE NOT ALONE in your struggle.
Itâs not surprising to me that you describe yourself as a âpeople pleaserâ- reformed one right here. But think about this: are a people pleaser because you genuinely want to be, or because you were taught to be by your motherâs demands and what you call ârageâ when she doesnât get her way? It is a question I asked myself one of the many times I went no contact with my own mother- typically after a fight, which, not surprisingly, never worked. You and your sisterâs (and all the children) seem to be victims of your mothers (assumed) NPD. Her skipping your nephewâs graduation sounds like a way of keeping the attention on herself during what should be a time of celebration. Yes- even in her absence, she did something that would gain her some attention. Maybe even one of you went to check on her the same day that your nephew and the family was to be celebrating his success. By not showing up to his graduation, I believe your mother is sending a very clear message: I am to be the center of attention, and if something isnât about me, Iâll do anything I can to make sure it becomes about me.
A few other examples I noticed from you send off red flags when looking for NPD: your mother being âillâ with chest pain while your sisters are on vacation, people in the family going to the grocery store for her when she seems capable going herself, even her letters about the way her husbandâs failing health was affecting HER. These are all ways of keeping the attention on herself. You stated that your father always rushed to her side; I believe that is because he, like you, learned that the best way to deal with mom was to appease her. Enable her. Keep mom happy, and weâll all be âhappyâ too. But I donât believe you are happy, or you wouldnât be here.
I sincerely hope this isnât coming across as guilt-shaming- I myself have been the victim of the same situation for the past 30 years, the same amount of time you have, and have only recently gained the clarity to speak in honesty about what affected (and infected) every area of my life for the past 30 years. We are the exception, not the rule. From what Iâve read, some children of narcissistic parents donât even realize that they were a victim of abuse until after the parent passes away. Itâs all weâve ever known- how can we doubt their love for us?
It is fairly common for daughters of narcissistic mothers to feel guilt for either not loving their mother enough, or not feeling like youâre doing enough for her. Itâs the product of your upbringing- not anything you yourself have done. Read that again: IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. Iâve been doing the same for my mother for 30 years, and I completely understand your sense of loyalty to her. It is actually admirable in a family member. Itâs only when that loyalty is not returned and in fact taken advantage of that it becomes a double-edged sword- hurting both you and the abuser. As a fellow traveler in this journey , I would encourage you to ask yourself âIs my time best served to my mother, who wonât ever get enough attention, or to my own family, who need and deserve wife/mother who is happy and at peace?â
It sounds like you and your sisters have formed a tripod in order to support your mother, a constantly shifting weight that you have to bend beneath to support. Your concern seems to be that if you donât hold up your end anymore, the remaining weight will collapse on your sisters. It seems as though you think you have to continue to hold up your end for the sake of mom. But you donât. Despite what you may think, it doesnât benefit your mother for you or your sisters (or your families) to continue to keep someone from supporting themselves. You do not have to bear the weight of your motherâs problems, if you donât want to. I felt as though I was pulling my end to support my mother for 30 years, and only very recently became aware of the abuse (yes, abuse) I was suffering and enabling, against my knowledge. The fact that I felt I was responsible for my motherâs (and everyone elseâs) emotions was a problem in and of itself, one that I didnât realize until I turned 30.
I would encourage you to look at http://www.daughtersofnarcissisticmothers.com and/or http://www.luke173ministries.org. The first, especially, is a great site to hear about other daughters whose mothers suffer from the disease, and goes into depth on EFT, which user CLB mentioned in a previous response. Also, if you want to attempt to create boundaries between you and your mother, it can help with something called âLow Contactâ or âNo Contactâ. Iâve recently put into play the one of these with my mother, and it took a long time (and a lot of struggle) to happen, but I have gained an insight and happiness that I never thought was possible. I no longer hear her voice telling me that Iâm not good enough. All it means is that I canât be good enough for her, and thatâs because nobody can.
Iâm not advocating LC or NC, but sharing my personal story. If youâd need someone to hear your struggle, know that I have been there, and you arenât alone.August 10, 2016 at 11:43 am #112070Choccoffeewine
ParticipantThanks for all your replies/feedback.
CLB: Currently, my little family lives far enough away that we can’t be of much help but can get there in a day, if need be. Appreciate you sharing your experience, thank you.
Anita: Thanks for your compassionate message.
Inky: Thanks for the different approach, appreciate a different option in how to view and handle things. You said something about the gifts your mother gives you….and you’re absolutely correct. In visiting with a friend last night, I saw where the authentic, honest relationship I have with my spouse was partially due to this relationship I have with my mom.
Peaceatlast: Thanks for sharing your ideas, experiences.
nyres817: I appreciate you sharing resources and your story.
There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s an emotional/mental issue underlying mom’s behavior and treatment of others. I spoke with both sisters, months ago, about the possibility of some level of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. One thinks it isn’t the case but rather mom is extremely selfish. While the other doesn’t say much (as she stated that when dad died, she was going to have very little, if anything, to do with mom). That one knows a lot more than what she’s saying, sometimes relays some stories/memories but generally tries not to say much.
Mom was extremely firm and strict when we were raised, a controlling parent. There wasn’t a complete absence of love but rather when we approached a certain age (around 10) she withheld love, affection was no longer appropriate. At that time, the ‘rages’ (which were going from 0 to 180 with anger) were not clear as to what set it off…one never knew what would upset her. Punishments made little sense. So that was very confusing and still is. Also know that there’s a history of abuse on that side of the family (via stories from grandma). From stories relayed to me, it sounds as though she experienced post-partum depression with me (grandmother shamed her about being pregnant at 40). It sounds that dad and my siblings were heavily involved in my care. My siblings are 9 and 11 years older than I.
There was never an official diagnosis and I don’t believe mom ever sought help with that either….which may go along with a popular belief system in her age group (depression isn’t a real disease).
It was very confusing for me. Lots of ‘flip-flopping’ on what I got punished for, severity of punishments that didn’t fit the crime or ‘imagined’ crime (yeah, got punished for what she thought I did even if I didn’t do it). She and I have a hard time communicating with each other. I can state things simply and bluntly and she doesn’t understand it. She expects me to read her mind and instinctively know what help she needs, when she needs it. ha ha…I haven’t evolved THAT much yet. đ
I share these bits and pieces….not to have a vent session, pity party or “Poor me!! I’m such a victim!”. Not at all. It is a puzzle that I feel such a huge drive to solve. Its painful sometimes to meditate and have memories, I had long forgotten, surface. I seek to remember the good memories as well. I guess, as a mother myself, I now see more of an abused inner child that lashes out at the world…instead of the monster I used to see. Forgiveness….it will take some time but I know it will come. That is something that isn’t typically difficult for me, forgiveness.
I have checked out the ‘daughters of narcissistic mothers’ website and found valuable information. I have also been reading (little chunks at a time) “Codependent No More” and a friend loaned me “Shame & Guilt: Masters of Disguise”. While I really want to understand this, find compassion for it and find a love for her that I can give without feeling hurt that it isn’t reciprocated; I’m also searching for freedom. Physically distance doesn’t matter if I still allow her to affect me as she always has, snap her fingers and I perform. I understand that I’m responsible for my choices and I’m as free as I allow myself to be (internally). I’ve discovered less guilt, more self-love over this past year. I had a few days at one point that I felt this huge beam (think Iron Man) of love radiating from my chest….and I loved that!
I don’t know what the future will bring but I always have hope. And yes, maybe that hope is in vain….but maybe that’s why I’m also numb right now. I’m hopeful yet protecting myself…out of habit. What I don’t expect is unconditional love, acceptance from my mom. Those hardly ever came when one did things exactly as she wanted you to, so not going to happen even if I’m happier than I’ve ever been. However, it is also a life lesson and these memories, educating myself (thanks everyone for your input)…this cycle stops with me. I’m NOT passing it onto my children. It’ll be interesting to see how they evolve and improve on parenting (if/when they have their own). In the meantime, CLB is right….I need to work on accepting that this is all she has/can give. I do wish for her to feel more authentic love for herself, feel more acceptance…so maybe she can feel some of that freedom herself before she’s gone.
Thanks for your replies and thanks so much for reading. đ
August 10, 2016 at 12:50 pm #112083Anonymous
GuestDear Choccoffeewine:
The best line, for me, in your latest post is: “this cycle stops with me. Iâm NOT passing it onto my children.”
I like that very much, oh how better the world will be if it was so for many other parents.Your mother, like any other mother, was once a child and as a child she was deeply hurt. This is what I learned from my experience with my abusive mother: it is harmful for my mental health to continue to feel empathy for her. She deserves empathy, only not my empathy. She deserves, if she looks for it, for someone to help her understand what motivates her and how to go about her life in healthy ways- only I am the wrong person to attempt to be that for her.
And she deserves to be loved, only not by me.
The reason is that she hurt me and she did so personally, in person: it was a personal affair between her and me. When she attacked the little girl that I was, loving her unconditionally, needing her desperately, when she attacked that little girl again and again, that was personal.
This is why it can’t be me to love her, to try to understand her, to try to help her.
Our mothers, they are not just people for us. When we were children, they were part of us, automatically. There was no separate identity.
To heal from the mother’s abuse, a daughter has to leave that identity, that one unit of identity. To empathize, to try to love an abusive mother is to stay in that unit.
anita
August 10, 2016 at 5:05 pm #112100Choccoffeewine
ParticipantAnita,
How do you leave that identity? By accepting that I don’t feel that love, I don’t feel a bond?
And by the way, I completely relate to what you posted about the hurt being personal.
Thanks.
August 10, 2016 at 5:41 pm #112108Anonymous
GuestDear Choccoffeewine:
You are welcome. How do you leave that identity? By not engaging in feeling empathy for your mother, by not trying to feel love for her; by not believing it is a virtue or a desired thing to feel empathy to a person who mistreats you.
Instead of focusing on her, focus on you. Instead of feeling empathy for her, feel empathy for you.
anita
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