Has anyone had success setting boundaries?
First time poster in this sub. I’m not sure my mom qualifies as a narcissist but she has never reflected on her behavior, apologized or tried to become a better person to her kids. I am 47 and recently had enough with her messed up narrative that she is a long-suffering parent of ungrateful children.
She recently requested we talk more often on the phone. I guess she wants to feel everything is normal and her children admire and respect her. This time, I explained to her why we don’t talk to her. Or at least why I don’t enjoy and would rather spend my time on people who make me feel good about myself.
I gave her some things I’d like her to change. 1) she never asks about me. She uses phone calls to drone on about herself. Same with text messages. 2) she is judgemental and critical. It feels like she’s jealous of me (I didn’t say that part) because she’s never happy for me so I stopped telling her things. I gave her examples from the last two times we spoke that she was super negative.
This was a month ago and all she responded a week later was that she loves my brother and I unconditionally (which I took as “not like you who has put CONDITIONS!”). With Christmas coming up I’m sure she’ll insist on a call without addressing a single thing I’d said. Has anyone had an aging parent who actually turned it around in their lonely years?
Posted Dec 7, 2025, 4:50 AM UTC