If I am just being a really awful daughter, and my mother is not really that bad. Poor old dear is 82, give her some slack, she was probably frightened when she got ill.
I now recount a tale of when I was younger, a lot younger. It would be when I was 20 and living with my then boyfriend who eventually become husband #1.
My eldest brother was living on his own and my younger brother (older than me) was married and living with his wife.
Mother demanded we attended on Christmas day, and we went (that was the mistake I now realise, but we were young and immature lol)
When we arrived we discovered that not only were the five of us in attendance, but she had also invited a number of friends for the event. We were placed down one end of the table while she and her friends sat together, laughing and having a lovely time.
After the meal she retired to the lounge. I say 'she' because she told us (her family) she was going into the lounge with her friends, we could clear away and stay in the 'other room'.
After a while we attempted to enter the 'friend zone' but were denied entry. If we wanted a drink, we were told, we could supply our own (on Christmas day!). Luckily we all knew our mother so had turned up with our own supply.
We sat in the 'other room' socialised, chatted, generally had a nice time. While she sat in the lounge with her friends and chatted and socialised and had nothing to do with us. If we attempted to talk to her she ignored us and told us to go in the 'other room'.
After a while we grew tired of being sent out of the room and decided we were all going home. Said we were going and left.
She did not speak to any of us for months, probably getting very close to the next Christmas before there was any contact. She still speaks of that Christmas when we all 'broke her heart'. (Yes really she has said that). Just the other day she mentioned the time 'the 3 of you just walked out down the road together without a word' (yes there was actually five of us and we all went to our respective homes after saying goodbye).
She basically treated us as young children, seen but not heard. I was the youngest, my eldest brother would therefore be 26 and the other 23. We were paraded in front of her friends and then expected to keep out of the way after we had done all the washing up for her.
I eventually did contact her, mainly because my wedding was the following May and I did actually want my mother to be there!
So no, I am not just a really awful daughter and she is not just a frightened 82 year old that was ill.
No comments:
Post a Comment