It's her birthday, and mother's day. Help?
This is my first mother's day since the estrangement. We are currently low contact, but I've been debating no contact for a while now.
I tried to set boundaries with her a few months ago. I told her she needs to stop guilting me into being closer with her, because it is pushing me away. This has been a problem for a really long time. I used to feel really guilty that I wasn't there for her enough, that I couldn't open up to her.
Over the years, I realized I developed my hyper independence because of her. She was originally an every other weekend parent, but she kept moving further away. It turned into long weekends and holidays. She never attended a school event. She didn't know any of my teacher's names.
When we were with her, she planted seeds of mistrust in our heads about our father. So when we went home, we felt further iscolated and alone.
There are MANY other factors in my estrangement, some a bit too dark to talk about here. She failed to protect us, and she did some shady things.
Anyways, I set this boundary directly but as gently as I could. I told her she needs to stop guilting me into being closer, because it is pushing me away. I told her she chose to move further and further when I needed her, and that caused me to be hyper independent. I told her I'm not angry, there isn't anything I want to fix, and that she needs to stop.
I've always been the peace keeper. The understanding one who gets along with everyone. I think my boundary must've shocked her, because she now seems to be punishing me by being ice cold. Minimal responses. For my 30th birthday, she just sent a very dry happy birthday.
Well, now it's bother mother's Day and her birthday. I thought up until today, that I would just text her with the same energy she did on my birthday. But I'm realizing something. I'm not interested in having a cold, immature, bare minimum mother anymore. So I'm heavily considering blocking and moving on. I don't even want to bother telling her why, because anytime I tell her how she hurt me, she tells me why I'm misunderstanding her intentions. Reasons are for people who can take accountability.
Anyways, still on the fence and teetering. I'd love some insight.
Posted May 11, 2025, 4:43 PM UTC