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(Slightly OT) I think my mom is obsessed with the SD/SO/GUBM drama...

attempting_to_maintain_composure's picture

I was talking to my mom tonight on my way home from work. Kind of a big mistake, but, you live and learn, right?

Anyway, she asked me how SD was, I told her I didn't know. She asked if SO has been talking to her. I said I didn't know. She asked when SD was going to come visit again and I said I didn't know. "Well, what DO you know??"

I explained to her that I've detached myself from the stress and drama associated with SO's kid and ex for my own health and sanity. This was not satisfactory enough for her. She told me it was 'unhealthy' and that I was 'ignoring a problem' that should be addressed. That I was going to ruin my relationship with SO because I was not inserting myself into what our couples counselor called the anxious dance that the three of them engage in.

I told her that I was not ignoring any problems, but, that given the way SO gets treated by GUBM and SD that it is far healthier for myself and, more importantly, our relationship, for me to be disengaged and detached from the drama. I told her that I ask him questions about things when I'm curious, but, that he doesn't run to me with all of the drama like he used to. I'm much happier with it this way because I don't get instantly angry when he gets text messages from either of them. I don't have to stress out having to hear how shitty either one of them has been to him this week. I get to decide when I hear what's going on (or not going on). Yes, it still bothers me when I find out that they're assholes to SO, but, I don't have to live my life in a cloud of stress and misery because news of this heinous behavior is not just around the corner, ready to pounce at any second. Nope, not good enough. I told her that I felt like I was doing the right thing and that I had confirmation from my counselor that I was, so, I was satisfied with my choice. "Oh, OK, but, it's still not healthy." Ugh. OK, Mom, I shouldn't have to justify my choices to you, but, whatever.

I seriously think she just wants to hear all the dirt on SD and GUBM and she's trying to convince me that it's not healthy because she knows she won't get any dirt if I'm not attached to the drama. She's so weird like that. She complains about drama and stress, but, she's always the first to ask about those kinds of things. She does it to my sister, too. She'll tell my sister she hates her friends because they're so overly dramatic about everything, but, when she hasn't heard anything about them in a while, she'll sit down and ask my sister to "dish" on the latest dirt. And she just eats it up. But, I don't want to talk about that nonsense when I talk to my mom. I want to talk about me :/ It's almost like she craves the drama of it all because it's "exciting", but, she doesn't realize how detrimental that much stress is to my health. Or, maybe she does but just doesn't care, I don't know. She hasn't always been the most stellar mom.

Comments

attempting_to_maintain_composure's picture

Most definitely. I just wish it wasn't vicariously through drama. I wish she was that interested in my job and school. Those she calls boring. But SD/GUBM/SO drama? Too exciting.

RedWingsFan's picture

I agree with the above poster - sounds like mom was rather interested in the drama and now that she's not getting it, is encouraging you to dive head first back in so she'll be able to hear you complain.

Or it could be that she's missing you asking for her advice on how to handle the situation (if you actually used to do that)?

I know before I disengaged from SD14, I'd always bellyache to mom and ask her how I should approach DH or certain situations. I think mom felt needed since we're long-distance (she is in MI, I am in CO) and we've had a strained relationship for the past several years. She needed to feel needed and by me calling her every week about the newest drama SD was causing, she could tell me to calm down and give me her ideas/opinions.

Maybe next time you talk to her, bring something else up and if she mentions SD/BM/SO drama, just tell her that you'd like for her advice on something different and you are not discussing them with her anymore? I don't know if it'll work but I think maybe mom just wants to be involved in your life whether it's thru drama or by "helping" you.

attempting_to_maintain_composure's picture

Oh, she's totally interested in it. I made the mistake of venting to her in the beginning before I found STalk, and, that's the problem for sure. She would offer unsolicited advice because she herself was a SD and she shared her own experiences with me about the nonsense her parents pulled because they were contemptuous of one another in way similar to the contempt between SO and GUBM. Though I never asked her for advice. I don't ask her for advice on anything because we had a very toxic relationship while I was growing up and to this day, whatever ideas I have are flawed in some way in her mind. And all of her advice is nonsense. It's all "Force SO to do this, force SO to do that, if you don't force him to do it you're ruining your relationship". I think this speaks volumes about the dynamics in my family as my mom and sister are overly controlling and feel that all women should be that way. Ugh. Yuck.

But, once I found STalk, I stopped venting to her, and, started just giving her little updates like "SD is visiting us at this time, GUBM still sucks, whatever". And that was enough. But, now that I have been consistently giving her NO information since last Spring, with the exception of one night while SD visited where I was merely explaining to her why I was hiding in the bedroom on Skype, she's unsatisfied with it.

But, you're right. I just have to divert the conversation and maybe one day she'll get over the drama. Or not. But, the best I can do at this point is try to stop it because it's really annoying. Although I think she might think I'm crazy if I outright ASK her for advice on anything hahaha.

RedWingsFan's picture

Maybe that's the key then? ASK her for advice on something totally unrelated to SO/SD!!! Throw her completely for a loop. Make her feel needed and maybe she won't need the drama fix anymore?

attempting_to_maintain_composure's picture

Perhaps! At the very least might just leave her sputtering and confused enough to forget about the drama.