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Old 12-30-2007, 11:09 PM
 
638 posts, read 2,282,523 times
Reputation: 294

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Quote:
Originally Posted by captnemo62 View Post
Morning Glory.....I have found that people that have to degrade and insult others have no self respect themselves. So to make them feel better about themselves they try to make others look worse....
But you don't have to take it. Keep in touch with your mom. Advise her that you don't want your sister to have your address or telephone #. If in fact she gives it out anyway, you can return the letters and put a call block on your phone for your sister's numbers. Caller ID was the best feature I ever put on my phone.
I have a SIL try to talk to me the way your sister talks to you. I asked her why she talked to me like that....she sputtered and spat but never talked to me like that again.
Put your foot down hard, you're better than the way you let her treat you.
Well I know she has no respect for herself. We are both (my hub and me) putting feet down now, and moving onward and upward. I know that it is easy to say "Don't let someone talk to you like that", but when it has been going on for decades and even your parents didn't defend you from it, it is very hard to stand up to, no matter how much you know it is wrong. That's why abusive people get away with it, it is so much easier to look away when it happens and sweep it under the rug....
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Old 12-31-2007, 10:56 PM
 
Location: Utopia
1,999 posts, read 10,578,554 times
Reputation: 1532
You know, do not do what I did for 30 years and that is say nothing in the hopes that some day the abuser will wake up and treat you with respect. They won't. They feel power when they feel they can bully you around. I wish I had woke up much, much sooner. I cannot tell you how satisfied I am that my half-brother and his brood are totally out of my life. I don't hate them...I just reject them totally now. They just are not important to me and my life anymore.
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Old 01-01-2008, 02:19 AM
 
Location: the show-me state
672 posts, read 2,127,127 times
Reputation: 757
I guess I'm lucky about this subject. My family is small, and we are all pretty close. I've had co-workers that were pretty nasty though. I am one of those who doesn't mistreat anyone who acts civil toward me. But I have absolutely no problem with telling toxic people to keep their distance from me. But there have been a couple of people who I started off with an intense dis-like for, but later came to be friends with. Sometimes, it takes me a while to figure some people out. The best way for me to access things is this: If a person is affecting my inner senerity in a negative way, then it is best (for me) if I simply don't associate with that person.
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Old 01-01-2008, 05:42 AM
 
460 posts, read 3,550,332 times
Reputation: 329
Quote:
Originally Posted by cinderobyn View Post
I have to add to this thread now. I grew up in a life where my parents had both had marriages before their own.

At the time of my birth, my mother was 38, my father was 52.

I am one of 6 brothers and sisters. My oldest brother is gone from this world. He was the worst person I know. Now, he was not a bad person to me, in my life, he was a good person. Mut in his life, he was a truly evil, bad person. He was evil to my mother, to my father, to both wives, to his children.

to animals, to himself.

Growing up, they all were older than me, and most had moved out of the house, all except for my brother who was 6 when I was born, my protector. Even now, when we are all grown up, with our own families, my protector.

My father brought 2 children to the marriage. One daughter, one son. The son, being now, my brother who passed away. Their mother died from breast ca when they were in their early teens. My sister, now in her middle 50s forever resenting my brother. He was in his 50s when he died.

All of us, resenting him and his evil ways. When I was a child, he was nice to me. Took me places, when I was born, he already had 2 children. My nephew, growing up, was my best friend.

Sean. Where he is in this life, right now, I have no idea. I have not seen him in more than 17 years, but growing up, my best friend. I was a tomboy, always riding the trails in the woods with him, we built forst, went to the place where they would store sand, and we would get to the top of it, and just moon jump down.

My childhood was good, I thought. As an adult, who has experienced a bad marriage, and an awakening, I can see things from my childhood.

My mother brought 3 children to the marriage. My second to the oldest sister, and my 2 brothers. They resented her new marriage, and in time, so did my mother.

I never understood why they were always yelling. Never, until many years later.

I was daddys girl, and I didn't know why my mother looked at him with such hatrid, why they argued. i know now, after going through many of the things in my own life.

I can look back now, remembering the despair in her eyes, the depression, the dark. The hurt and pain. I can remember looking in the mirror, relizing one day, that I was her. I was my mother, many years after she had passed away, I looked in the mirror and I did not see my reflection, but hers. It took me back to my childhood, back to everything, and I had such sorrow for my mother, my eyes were sad, they were her brown eyes looking at me in the mirror. Her brown eyes reflecting off of my brown eyes. I felt her pain, because at that moment, her pain was my pain.

My father treated her so badly. I never realized when I was a young child, but looking back, now as an adult, I see it. he was my Daddy, and then, to me, no better man in the world. I would go to the hardware store with him, help him out in the yard.

I took care of him as he died. i never told my parents I loved them. Ours was a house where the words were not spoken. I love you was not said, and it took me a long time to be comfortable to hear those words, to say them.

I never told my father, but he knew. I know he knew. He lay there in that hospital bed, and drifted away from me. My mother sitting next to the bed, me standing. He was gone. His eyes still open. I was 21. I had a son, 11 months old at the time. He was gone. Just like he was there, he was gone.

I cried, I had never once told him I loved him. I didn't know those words. I knew tham as a parent to my son, and he hears them every day of his life, he and my daughter hear it, they feel it every day. From the time before I had evenn given birth to them , until this very day.

I didn't know what to do. I cried, at the loss of my father. Cancer took him. The strong man he always was to me, it took him. He was 73. He was 73, and I took care of him for a good while before he died, watching him deteriorate by the day.

I told him that day as I cried, I love you. I hugged his body. After that day, I started telling my mother. She left me there that morning. She left me at the hospital after he died. I was alone, next to him, my head in my hands. I had to call funeral homes, make decisions that I should not have had to make on that morning.

But this is what we do, when we love someone. I sat for hours waiting for my oldest sister to get to the hospital. He died on february 7, 1995. My mother on december 24, 2000.

They are both gone from this world, but remain forever in my heart. My mother was a good provider to me. my father, he was the one who did things with me, took me places. my mother... bought my love. She could not say the words, so she paid for them. I would rather have had nothing in my life, but those words, but I didn't.

I was as an only child almost, and my brothers and sisters from her marriage resented me. She was very poor before I came, and they never had anything, after marrying my father, she was able to have things in her life, and she bought me things.

I felt that she showed them love, and bought me things. They hated me.

I felt that too, except for my brother, 6 years older than me, my protector. I was his tag along kid sister.

My sister did not love me, she resented me, my mothers daughter. As we grew older, that changed, and especially after my mom died.

Everything changed after she died. All of us brothers and sisters, we love eachother, and we say it, when ever we speak on the phone.

I never really knew how toxic my life was to me, growing up, it was normal for me, because it was my life.

I sit here now, and having gone through that life, then a very painful marriage, painful and toxic, I have overcome, and I have grown.

I am now a very happy woman, in a very happy new life, my old one behind me, but with my children, forever with me.

So, that is me.

What I did, about my sister who was they was she was... After my mother died, I had hatrid towards her, to the things she was doing, as executor of my moms estate, it was all about money, and I never in my life thought that would happen.

My mother left me 50k dollars, and I didn't want it. I needed it so badly, but i didn't want it. it was in her will that I get it, and she kept on with the did you get the check yet, blah blah blah.


They made me get out of my mothers house, which I was trying to buy, and in doing that, my Grandmother that I was caring for, also had to get out. I could no longer care for my Grandmother, because I could not afford to house her. there in my mothers house, I could.

I hated my sister. I hated what she had done to me.

Then I realized, i cannot have hatrid like this in my life, in my heart. I went to my preacher and cried to him one day after the service.

I told him that I had this hatrid in myheart, and it was wrong. Got your bible Robyn? He said to me. I pulled it out, and he said to turn to a certain scripture, and I did. The answer was there. The whole time. After that day, I loved my sister, I loved them all.

Today, I still do. there is an answer to every question in life. You just have to find the answer, that applies to your life, in your time. Once that happens, from my experience, I can tell you now. Life is wonderful, and it is what we make it, what we allow it.

now, that was a novel. Thank you for this thread, sorry if I hijacked it for a few, and your thread has allowed me to geet some things out that lie dormant. They are out now, and they are where they need to be, in the past, and out. One day, you'll say the same thing.

In your own time. Take a step forward.

cinderobyn

That was incredibly heart touching. Thank you for sharing
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Old 03-01-2008, 11:43 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,869 times
Reputation: 16
Default I Understand

I've been reading this thread and it's nice to know other people out there are/have experienced what I have- a toxic relative who makes it a goal in life to put you down and berate you.

Quick summary of my situation: 2 abusive (verbally, physically, emotionally) brothers who made my life a living hell all throughout middle school, high school, college and post-college when I moved back home for 1.5 years to save money. Also, dad was abusive to mom growing up. Mom did her best, but in the end, dad's evilness won out. And neither of them stopped Jim & Jeff from abusing me. Instead, they told me 'they'll be out of the house soon (going to college) and then you won't have to worry. When they did finally go to college, I was in 6th grade, but within 2 years, they were back because they failed out. And it was back to the abuse. I felt like my parents betrayed me because they came back and my parents did nothing to protect me from the abuse. Not suprisingly, 6th & 7th grade were my BEST grades academically. Uhmmm, maybe because I was happy and wasn't living in constant fear of abuse and criticism and had for once in my life some joy.

Anyways, here's my advice. People like my brothers who are abusive, are TOXIC people. Got that? They will NEVER change. And it's NOT your job to change them or even enlighten them. You seriously need to understand that this is who they are.

Therefore, cut off all ties. You should NOT expose yourself to the abuse if you can help it. Move away. Tell family to make sure to not update them on your life.

Also, when people ask you how they're doing, tell them honestly: I don't talk to them. They're abusive and I choose to not associate with that.

A mistake I made was lying and saying everything was fine which let them get away with it all. They still get away with it because they're not abusive to anyone but me. But atleast I'm speaking the truth when I tell people we don't have a relationship.

Realize that these people are insanely jealous and can't stand the thought of you doing well in life or being happy. That is why they degrade you- to hold you back and make you feel guilty and mess with your psyche.

Lastly, at the end of the day, you have to realize that life's too short.

And you should NOT waste another minute thinking about them. Not ONE minute.

Good Luck.
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Old 03-01-2008, 11:45 PM
 
Location: southern california
61,286 posts, read 87,533,280 times
Reputation: 55564
i got 2 types of relatives
restaurant relatives
house relatives
thats how i do it.
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Old 03-02-2008, 04:03 AM
 
Location: Ostend,Belgium....
8,827 posts, read 7,337,256 times
Reputation: 4949
That's the best way to deal with them, Bunky39
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Old 03-02-2008, 07:08 AM
 
Location: bumcrack Nebraska
438 posts, read 1,510,563 times
Reputation: 429
I know this thread is a bit old, but after reading everyone's comment I felt I had to post my own personal experience.

Both of my parents are toxic people. Always have been, and it looks like they always will be. They were physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive to me growing up. I got called every name in the book. I had to referee their arguments and basically be the adult in the house. Well, three days after I graduated high school I left for the Navy. I thought if I just left the situation it would get better. For a while I though it was. It wasn't until after I married a wonderfully sane man that I realized the abuse had continued. I compared how he built me up to how my parents constantly knocked me down. Finally, after I had been gone for about 5 years I felt like confronting my parents. I would have had better luck raising Elvis from the dead. For 3 years after that I tried to change them. I explained to them exactly what I needed from them and how I expected them to treat me. Didn't help. They are still manipulative and verbally abusive. Two months ago I was having (what I thought was) an innocent conversation with my dad about my husband's job interviews. (He's getting out of the Navy and getting a real job) My dad proceeded to call my husband a mamma's boy because he was interviewing in Nebraska and his mom lived in Kansas. He continued to insult my husband,implied that my children were replaceable since "I have other grandkids I can love", called me names, and said I was abandoning my family since I wasn't moving back to Louisiana. It was at that point I decided I was completely done with them. Unfortunately they know how to weasel their way into my life via my two younger sisters. Another day, another abusive blow up.

What's my point? People treat you how you allow them to treat you. Even though I haven't eliminated their vicious attacks, I've learned to minimize them.

1) Change the subject- When my mom tries to bait me into her pity parties, I just start talking about something else. Irritates the crap out of her and saves me a tirade.

2) Keep it superficial- Everything I tell them is on the most superficial level. Kids are fine. Everything is good. I bought a new pair of shoes.

3) If they try to slide in a guerrilla warfare verbal attack, just keep talking. I ignore stupid petty remarks and just talk over them.

4) Live far, far away. This is the best advice I can give anyone in my position. Its a lot easier to not call or not answer the phone than not answer the door.

5) Keep telling yourself "They love me but just can't show it in a healthy way". This keeps me sane.

6) Remember you are under no obligation to associate with abusive people. Even and especially those whose swim in your gene pool.
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Old 03-02-2008, 09:41 AM
 
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
10,757 posts, read 35,470,929 times
Reputation: 6962
I live far away and I still get harassment.

My brother called me the other day. He apparently found out that my Mother who is 85 sent my daughter and I money for our birthdays which are both in March. He blew a head gasket because of this.

My brother is trustee to the estate that my Father left behind and my sister has started litigation against him because he has embezzled from the estate.

He hasn't had a job in more then 10 years, lives off my Mother. He has stolen so much money that if my Mother lives to much longer, she will have NOTHING to live off of. Anything she sends to us, he sees as less money for him to play with.

My Mom can't drive anymore or she would go and purchase something and mail it but its easier for her to write a check and send it.

He was shocked that I no longer get frightened and listen to him. I came right back at him, hard. He wasn't ready for it. I am going to have to change my phone number AGAIN or he will continue to call and harass me.
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Old 03-02-2008, 11:12 AM
 
Location: Midwest
9,460 posts, read 11,220,029 times
Reputation: 18028
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindsey_Mcfarren View Post
I live far away and I still get harassment.

My brother called me the other day. He apparently found out that my Mother who is 85 sent my daughter and I money for our birthdays which are both in March. He blew a head gasket because of this.

My brother is trustee to the estate that my Father left behind and my sister has started litigation against him because he has embezzled from the estate.

He hasn't had a job in more then 10 years, lives off my Mother. He has stolen so much money that if my Mother lives to much longer, she will have NOTHING to live off of. Anything she sends to us, he sees as less money for him to play with.

My Mom can't drive anymore or she would go and purchase something and mail it but its easier for her to write a check and send it.

He was shocked that I no longer get frightened and listen to him. I came right back at him, hard. He wasn't ready for it. I am going to have to change my phone number AGAIN or he will continue to call and harass me.
Quite a thread here.

CALLER ID. Hang up when the abuse starts.

I hope your sister is successful with the litigation. She may need a statement from you. Punks are punks and once mom is gone he will find someone else to suck dry.
If he is doing what you say he's doing, he is embezzling and he is committing elder abuse, both are probably felonies. I will take a wild guess and surmise there are some drugs involved in his lifestyle.
Preying on the elderly is crime for the depraved. When it's your own mother it's an even worse sin.
Sounds like prison is where he should be, among his own kind.

As others have said, we all need to make our way to deleting the abusers from our lives.
It will not get better. They will not have an Awakening and discover they are cowardly thugs and small time terrorists and miraculously decide they should change, be nice, and turn their lives into a Jimmy Stewart movie.
They feed off the abuse and get energy from abusing others. They are vampires.
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