Releasing the past in order to find myself

Friday, May 11, 2012

Broken

I just had a really bad evening with my in-laws.  I'm sure that I'm being discussed at this very moment.  That I am crazy.  They're all wondering what the hell is wrong with me.
As background, my in-laws all run on their own schedule.  My MIL and FIL have been here every weekend, expecting to just drop by at their convenience, for the past month.  And then every other weekend before that. They show up whenever they want and expect us to present the grandchildren so that they can have their little moments.  They are very different from the type of person I am.  We just have never clicked.  Not they are not nice people, they are just inconsiderate people.  They do little to predict or understand how their actions might effect someone else.
The short story is that they wanted everyone to get together tonight (us and husband's brother's family).  They don't make plans.  They just expect things to fall together.  When we arrive at the restaurant their is a 45 minute wait.  I have a baby.  I knew that things weren't going to go well from there.  Over an hour later we are still waiting for a table.  My MIL tells my 3 year old that she has a gift in the car.  Not for him now, but in the car.  And she expects him to wait for it.  She and my FIL think it's so funny how he politely asks to go out and get it (but don't actually get it).  They come over and tell me stories about my son to ME as if I don't know him at all.  They don't get that I'm getting agitated knowing that at any moment, my son is going to turn into a cranky mess.   We sit down, and there is some grousing on MIL's part because she can't sit in the middle of the table.  We all have small kids we need to attend to, but she can't be center of attention, and is annoyed.  We finally arrange the seating at the table, quickly order some food for the kids and an appetizer for hubby and me (while everyone else waits to eat, making my poor niece and nephew wait the whole time).  When the food comes, my MIL starts doling out food from one person's plate to the other.  This is a thing with her.  That everyone "share" whether they wanted to or not.  This irritates me to no end.  I know that it's not that big of a deal, but to me, it is such a boundary violation.  Who does she think she is, that she gets to determine who gets what food and how much?  She's grabbing my son's food, giving it to my niece (not that I mind him sharing, in fact, I encourage it) but she doesn't even wait to see if my niece asks for it.  She just hands food around.  And then starts sneaking her own bits of food off his plate.   Again, I know this seems small.  But it is a repeated thing where she will help herself to my son's food instead of getting her own.  It's not about the food to her.  It's about some weird "connection" she feels by crossing those boundaries and all being "one" that irritates me.  She used to do this with me before my kids came along.  I always left family meals hungry, as everyone else "helped" me finish food after they gulped down their own.  It's a touchy subject with me.  Not about the food, but the sense of feeling violated.  No one cared if I was hungry, or what I wanted, just about what they wanted.  MIL throws out (rather screams across the table) how great the card  I sent her for Mother's Day was.  She quickly sent me an email card this morning after mine arrived in the mail.  (Is it the thought that counts?  What if there is no thought?).  I doubt her sincerity as well, it just doesn't seem sincere.  My FIL loudly goes on about what my son knows of letters, although when I try to tell him what else my son can do, he ignores me.  MIL makes pointed comments to my son about how good he is "sharing".  My temperature is through the roof.  My SIL starts suggesting that hubby and I need a night out (which we do) but I find the timing weird.  She also suggests a girl's night, yet has been cold and reserved and on her phone all night.  I am slowly getting swallowed by my anxiety.  I feel pressure everywhere.  Tension.  And it is probably my fault.  My SIL and BIL leave their kids all the time with the in-laws.  I'm too afraid too (she's a space cadet).  They have a date night tomorrow.  My MIL has watched the kids all day and will watch them tomorrow.  They are one, big, chummy family, and I'm the bitch that keeps my husband and kids from being that too.
We finally get up to leave, leaving everyone else to their meals that haven't arrived.  But my infant is clawing at my head he is so tired.  My in-laws finally ask to take my older son to get their gift from the car.  I say yes, hold his hand (they act like this is a given, but with them, it is NOT) in the crazy parking lot, and to please hurry.  We wait for them.  Then they saunter in checking out cars.  Then, my FIL suggests he needs to "stop by" to see my son play baseball.  Again with the drop-ins.  Again, no regard for what we have going on.  Drop everything to see us, they push.  I am boiling by this point.  Then, they want to talk about my other son's birthday party.  They just can't seem to get the point.  I jump in the car, turn the key, and instantly feel awful, but at the same time liberated.  They have pushed and pushed all night, but of course, I am the horrible, rude one.
My husband asks if I'm all right on the way home.  He means mentally.  No.  I'm not the fuck all right.  He suggests I need counseling.  Really?  No shit.  He suggests I'm very angry.  Hell yeah, I'm angry.  I'm so angry.  Angry at them all.  Angry at myself.  Tired of being taken advantage of.  Tired of no one thinking past their own selfish needs, past their own asses.  Tired of being bullied.  I should feel worse, but I don't.  Why can't I be angry sometimes?  Why can't I be annoyed?  Why should I just go along?  Why is thinking about my kid's well being such a crime?
I'm so tired of it all.  So lonely, so tired, so angry, so broken.

32 comments:

  1. You don't need counseling. Fuck your inlaws, man. Just pay attention to your kids.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jess,
    You poor thing, sounds like the worst evening ever! And I agree with Lisa. You don't need counselling. There is nothing wrong with you and you are definitively not crazy. Nobody should have to put up with the mad circus you described. It is ok to be angry, it is the body's alarm going off because your boundaries are being abused. I understand how hard it is, when we grow up without boundaries we don't even know how to go about setting them (in fact I hadn't even heard of the concept until I was well in my thirties -talk about arrested development!-), and I am not very good at confrontation either, so I had to start really small, and I am still learning, but it's way better than it was. Can you think of anything that you can start claiming back for yourself?
    Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks ladies for the support. Kara, I have tried to start setting boundaries with my in-laws about when then can and can't drop by. If we have something going on, we are not going to drop everything for them. And I was making attempts at this dinner to set boundaries. But they tend to think I'm being ridiculous. But, on the plus side. I did not feel guilty about it, didn't have regrets, and that in itself, was a big thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am cheering you on, I know what a big thing that is. :)

      Delete
  4. I have this problem where I tend to read like, one sentence, and then I'm off and commenting and I haven't even read the whole post yet. (I missed this post last night when I was reading) I'm totally doing that now, which means you'll probably get a whole bunch of comments from me, instead of just one bigger one.

    Off we go...

    "Not they are not nice people, they are just inconsiderate people."

    I don't usually think of "nice" and "inconsiderate" as things that go together. I also don't like the word "nice" because it just sounds phoney. I try to come up with other ways of describing people: kind, thoughtful, considerate, polite, giving, etc. I think you were probably trained to think of people as "nice" and not look much deeper than that.

    But, in fact, you're learning how to look deeper, thus the desire to look at them with more than just the lens of "nice." And "inconsiderate" is not nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very true. I guess "nice" means that they are not horrible monsters and somehow I was trained that then they were excusable. Also, I've often heard "don't take it personally" and that taking it personally was a character flaw of MINE and that I needed to accept people for who they are. The in-laws have always just explained away their "inconsiderateness" as just how they are in their family. They are not "rigid" and "rule bound"...a.k.a. the snob that I am.
      And I like being able to take your comments point by point too! I just appreciate the comments, period.

      Delete
  5. "When we arrive at the restaurant their is a 45 minute wait. I have a baby."

    Yes, you've written before about your in-law's ridiculous demands on your time and expectations. JUST like EFIL and L (DH's narcissistic/enabling father and step-mother) your in-laws don't give a rat's ass about the fact that you have a baby and it's not practical, easy, or appropriate to be expecting YOU, a young parent with a little baby, to disrupt your own schedules for theirs. EFIL and L were famous for that sort of thing too: they showed up late to events (DD's birthday party), never served dinner on time when we went over, and rarely, if ever, changed their plans to accomodate us (AND we had to travel 45 minutes to get to their house).

    It was so bad that EFIL called DH in 2010 before Xmas to make sure we were going to their house for xmas eve dinner. DH and I had already decided that we weren't going to because my due date was a WEEK AWAY from christmas and we didn't want to worry about traveling that close to my due date. Well, you can imagine, EFIL did not like that and he told DH that "Christmas is about FAMILY." Meaning, Christmas is all about EFIL and L and NMIL and what THEY want...not about what we want or need for our health, safety, or happiness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Again, it was often implied that I was being inflexible, difficult, and demanding. So ironic, considering that they are, in my opinion, the ones who are inflexible, difficult, and demanding. These "precious" grandkids that they claim are so important to them, are clearly no important enough to adjust their schedule, keep safe from illness, or be fed on time or get their sleep. It's all about THEM.
      Your Christmas story is so typical. God forbid you not want to risk delivering on the side of the highway. Christmas is about family, but FAMILY thinks about what is best for everyone, not just maintaining their own little agendas.
      When I delivered my second son (by c-section) I was wheeled out of recovery into a room with three other women, as the unit was overcrowded. I, being the last person it, was closest to the door. There was NO curtain, NO privacy, and I was miserable as every visitor for the other women tramped through my space. I spent the first hours of my son's life as traffic director. NMIL called husband and badgered him about when she could come. He told her the situation and that he'd call when we were moved. I don't know what she said on the other end, but his response was frustrated as he snapped "mom, there is not even chairs or a place to sit! It isn't going to work, I'll call you." I'm sure she said that "oh, well, WE don't mind." Guess what lady, it's not about YOU. She continued to press him for a time. They had driven up in the morning, and were bored and had nothing to do, and were anxious to come. But who the hell asked them to drive up immediately. It was scheduled, so why didn't they just wait until the afternoon, give me some time to bond with my baby? Why? Because it was all about them.

      Delete
    2. "Again, it was often implied that I was being inflexible, difficult, and demanding."

      Yes, now that you mention it. L said the same of me, using those exact words: I was "difficult" and where SHE would go "out of her way to change plans FOR US" WE wouldn't do the same for them, and that I'm too "rigid."

      What it amounts to is that they just want to push their own agenda on us and not have to deal with the fact that it doesn't work for us.

      Jessie my dear, you can say no. To anything, to everything, all the time if you want to. I, for one, would not see that as you being "rigid" or "cold" or "inflexible" especially given who you are dealing with here.

      Delete
    3. "Why? Because it was all about them."

      Bingo, it's that in a nutshell.

      What did you do? Did you make her wait?

      When DS was born, DH and I decided not to call her until the NEXT DAY. (I admit, that makes me happy). She lost her privelages, meaning that we didn't inform her we were on the way to the hospital, or that our child had been born, until we were completely comfortable doing so.

      Plus, it helped me knowing that she didn't actually give a shit about me or our baby anyway, so why the hell should I tell her he was born, except as an afterthought sort of thing.

      Delete
    4. I wish you lived down the street.

      I'd have you over for tea (Or coffee. Or just a glass of water if you don't prefer either of those) in a hot second.

      And our babies could have playdates.

      Sigh. We can dream.

      Delete
    5. Me too Jonsi! I'd take tea, coffee, or just the talking. And a lovely playdate!

      We did make her wait (actually hubby made her wait. YAY! It's been a long process for us of him learning to set boundaries...even what are appropriate boundaries. And by not setting boundaries, he was making me feel insignificant and exposed to their attacks. It has been a LOOOONNNNGGGG process, one we still struggle with, but he is willing to work on it.) They ended up not coming over until that afternoon. I mean for Christ sake, they are grown adults. You can't entertain yourself for a couple of hours?

      Delete
    6. Ah. They are adults in body, but children (with no prospect of ever growing up) inside. I love children, but not that kind.

      I'm so happy to hear that your husband is working on creating healthy boundaries. I know well that struggle, and how difficult it is being the one who has been made to feel insignificant. It's painful.

      Delete
  6. "Over an hour later we are still waiting for a table."

    This is unacceptable. And it makes me very, very angry.

    You have EVERY RIGHT to get up and walk away. You don't even have to explain. If you want to be polite, you can just say, "Excuse me. We need to leave now." And walk away.

    Yeah, they're going to swear at you. Yeah, they're going to rant and rave and send you a million phoney text messages. Yeah, they're going to talk about you behind your back.

    So what else is new? Don't they ALWAYS do that anyway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tried so hard to leave. They just stared at me like I had three heads. I kept offering to take the kids and that husband could stay (he was being less than supportive at the time, but I know he felt caught in the middle). No one thought it was a big deal at all. But had THEY been extra hungry, there would've been a huge stink.

      Delete
    2. I don't care about what the adults want - for me, the kids needs (and that's what we're talking about here for sure) and in some cases even wants, come before the adults. Every time. No questions asked.

      I can understand the dilemma you faced. I think, had your hub been supportive, you probably could have done it. I'm thinking it's not just you who would benefit from counseling, he would too. It's so important to understand each other, to communicate openly and honestly, to be a team. And I know how hard it is when you're not (and you want to be so, so badly). You guys need to be each others' biggest supporters, best friends, closest allies. Etc. Etc.

      (I know. To say thats "fucking difficult" is a freaking understatement.)

      This whole scenario would have been a big deal to me too. Sisterfriend, I hear you big time.

      Delete
  7. "My MIL tells my 3 year old that she has a gift in the car. Not for him now, but in the car. And she expects him to wait for it. She and my FIL think it's so funny how he politely asks to go out and get it (but don't actually get it)."

    This is REALLY burning my biscuits. And don't think for one second that your little guy didn't FEEL embarrassed, or hurt, or confused by all of this. He knew he was being laughed at, he knew they were teasing him (which, by the way I DETEST. Teasing is inappropriate in all scenarios, but especially when it comes to defenseless children. Another word for is: bullying.) Gah. I'm so angry right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Teasing and bullying where the exact words I used in talking to my husband the other night. His family were conditioned in "teasing". It was always OK to "joke" about other family members shortcomings and laugh huge laughs about it. It's always OK if it makes someone laugh. And the teasing was always about something that the person can't help (physical appearance, etc.). And it is bullying. And GOD FORBID, you tease NMIL. She gets all angry and defensive and pissy.
      I think this incident bugged me more than anything. Why would you do this to a child? I wrote in the post that I confronted her about it being a bribe. And that's exactly what it was. A little carrot dangled out to keep him interested in her. I thought how fucked up that was. I mean, does it really feel good to get someone's attention only through bribing?! And really, all she needs to do to get his attention is PAY ATTENTION TO HIM.
      Also, your comment about him knowing that they are making fun of him is so true. They treat him like he can't hear them, or is too young to understand. Again, if they KNEW him at all, or just looked at his face, they could see that it was uncomfortable for him. He's a smart kid, with a great vocabulary and can understand it all. But the way the frame it, it's like they aren't laughing AT HIM, but at how cute he is. Fuck that. They are always laughing AT someone, but saying it's in a nice way. I don't see how, when someone isn't laughing, that it's in a "nice" way.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, it's definitely not laughing "with" someone when you are slowly crushing them with your taunts and teasing, and then, when they take offense to it, claiming that it's just because THEY "can't take a joke" or THEY "are being too sensitive."

      Children are VERY smart, and I think even non-narcs often don't realize that. Children are not adults in little bodies, but they are human through and through (who will eventually become adults) and they have REAL feelings and REAL needs that can't be brushed aside without there being some very dangerous and long-lasting consequences.

      Delete
    3. I actually believe children are much more emotionally sensitive than adults. They need to pick up on those small cues because that helps them survive and learn about the world.

      Delete
    4. I think you're right. They haven't learned how to tune out some of the things that we, as adults, can tune out. They're little sponges, absorbing everything and learning from it all.

      Delete
  8. "When the food comes, my MIL starts doling out food from one person's plate to the other. This is a thing with her. That everyone "share" whether they wanted to or not."

    You're right about this - MAJOR boundary crossing.

    Get your hand out of my food, bitch. And get it away from my kids' food before I break your fingers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so angry by this point that she is lucky I didn't jump across the table. This was actually the first time my son didn't sit beside me, and I'll guarantee you, it will be the last. The fact that she frames it all as "sharing" puts me in such a horrible position (and the family has all been conditioned to think that this OK) because it makes me look selfish. I don't really care, but it does make it uncomfortable. I really have struggled with appropriate responses to this, as this hasn't been the first time or only time she has done that. I once watched her wipe her greasy fingers all over my son's napkin. He was grossed out and, gently, keep trying to push her fingers away. Of course, she didn't notice. She use to do it all the time with my husband, and it really burns her britches when he doesn't offer up what he is eating to her. She'll hint and hint. It's just so...SICK. It's weird, and gross, and childish. She just can't stand it to not have everything everyone else does. I can't even explain how just violating it feels. And I really don't understand why she thinks it's HER job to decide who gets what food and how much.

      Delete
    2. And again, so many people, think this is just me being "uptight".

      Delete
    3. Who are these people? Friends of your mothers? Flying monkeys? At the very least, they are certainly people who don't understand, don't want to understand, or are too superficial to really think that much about it.

      You're right about the whole "sharing" thing too, they are setting YOU up to look like the bad guy (not only in front of the other adults, but to your children too! Watch out for that). Your son will likely hear from "grammy" that "mommy isn't sharing" and, just like that, a seed will be planted.

      Hmm...how to deal with it? You've seen Ceaser Milan right? The dog whisperer?

      Imagine that NMIL is a misbehaving dog. YOU be in control. YOU be assertive calm. YOU look her in the eye and say, "You WILL keep your hands out of our food." There is no question. There can be no argument. Say that, feel it, mean it. Practice it in the mirror, if you have to, so that it starts to feel right.

      Assertive calm. YOU are in control. Not her. Never her.

      Delete
    4. Working on this too! Trying to not get angry and remain calm.
      I've thought about also saying that "It's not 'sharing' when YOU decide. Sharing is about a person deciding to give, not about the another person deciding FOR you. That's called taking. My kids are great sharers and we share in MY family, but we NEVER force someone to do something."

      Delete
    5. Oh, and "these people", well they are her flying monkeys. But also my family, especially my father. My father (who most definitely has narcissitic qualities) groomed me to ALWAYS put others first, to never expect anything for myself. And if I did, than I was being controlling. His favorite saying lately is that I'm anal. As in, me determining when I will serve him and his wife in my own home is ANAL. Or me having plans and food prepared and being a good hostess is ANAL. By not tolerating him and his wife setting everyone else's schedule is ANAL. When I had expectations that he could give me an approximate arrival time (which he didn't and husband and I wasted a whole three-day weekend waiting for him) was ANAL. Being thoughtful, organized, and doing my best to provide for my guests is ANAL. All just pisses me off so much. But he is one of the people who can tear me apart emotionally faster than anyone. He really can just rip me to shreds...luckily he's been trying to be better about it lately.

      Delete
    6. With narcs, I try to stick to the shortest way of saying "no" that I can. No explanations. No arguments. Nothing. It's just not up for discussion. I operate under the notion that they know EXACTLY what I mean when I say (for example), "Don't touch my food." Giving them an explanation just gives them the wiggle room to claim they "didn't understand" and that's why they couldn't comply with your requests.

      Bull. Shit. They know what "no" means. They just don't give a damn.

      And, about YOU being anal. Sigh. Bigger sigh. I don't even know where to begin. It's just so...wrong. He's wrong. He's lying. He's excusing his own bad behavior and your NM's. He has set you up to be a doormat and expects you to stay in that role. He's NOT right.

      Delete
  9. ANGER! I can't stress it enough! It is so important. It means that you feel violated, that you understand on a very deep level that EVERYTHING they are doing is wrong.

    You are SO not alone. And anger, however uncomfortable, is very important.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never really allowed myself to be angry. It's always been turned inward as depression. I don't remember a lot about how emotions were handled before my parents divorce (but I'm really trying hard to grasp it, as I think it'll be important for me and I want to post about it. Those little, early warning signs). But during the divorce, my mother told me REPEATEDLY that I was no allowed to feel anger or hurt or sadness because, in essence, it rained on her parade. SHE was finally happy, SHE finally was thinking about herself, SHE had finally done what SHE needed and how DARE I ruin her happiness with my petty feelings on the subject. She beat (emotionally) this into me over and over (and still does) that I'm not allowed any feelings that make her uncomfortable or doubt herself.
      So, I'm working on the anger thing. Identifying it, using it for red flags, and learning to have a proper outlet for it. I'm a little bitter that at 34, I'm only starting to work on this, but I suppose better late than never.

      Delete
    2. I think there are a lot of people out there who would say that, "better late than never." Actually, I don't think you're all that late. You're still very young, your babies are very young. There is so much time left, especially given that you are on the journey already, asking questions, learning, changing.

      Delete
  10. Auugh. I can totally feel your frustration in this entry. You have a right to be boiling mad. Dealing with selfish people and then being the only one who sees it is so maddening!! I feel like that around DH and his family. I will post an entry someday on my blog that it horrendous and similar to this and every time I read it, it makes me break out in hives it is so upsetting to me. I feel you sister!

    ReplyDelete