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Estrangement

Daughter won't communicate with me at all

(379 Posts)
EleanorRose Fri 06-Sept-24 05:11:26

My daughter has cut me off and she won't tell me why.
She won't answer texts from me or answer the phone.

I wake up each morning feeling sick; she is in contact with her siblings as if nothing has happened.

I feel like I have been erased.

My husband is much more optimistic than me, he thinks she will come round at some point. I think she may, with him, but I fear she won't with me. Hoping feels so painful. The scenario I fear is that she will be in contact with everyone but me.

I am keeping busy but my life feels hollow, to be rejected by your own child is excruciating and I cannot stop thinking about it.

She also insinuates that I am mentally ill.
It's an accusation that is very hard to fight against as it has no basis in reality.

I have offered to speak, to talk to a counsellor, to try and sort things out, but her siblings tell me she see's no point in trying. She also won't tell me what I've done.

This is so traumatic, I just love her so much.
I feel so alone. I don't know anyone else who is going through this. It has been 6 months.

VioletSky Tue 10-Sept-24 18:19:58

Smileless2012

No they don't, but we're not here to tell people what they should or shouldn't think are we.

A+

Smileless2012 Wed 11-Sept-24 09:01:01

Just common sense really VS.

Macadia Wed 11-Sept-24 09:08:05

Just apologise

VioletSky Wed 11-Sept-24 17:44:03

Someone has to say sorry first

And mean it

These relationships are worth it

Smileless2012 Wed 11-Sept-24 21:04:07

It helps if you know what you've done wrong.

RubyLegends Wed 11-Sept-24 21:29:01

Saying sorry transforms into a subjective activity in these circumstances.

For example, a simple and heartfelt apology for the issue/issues at hand becomes the wrong kind of sorry/not sorry enough/a disingenuous sorry/not a specific enough sorry.

Yes, apologies may help on a road to reconcilliation but when trust has broken down and the goal posts change more often than the weather, it a losing game.

Smileless2012 Wed 11-Sept-24 21:33:46

Yes you're right Ruby if only in every case it was as simple as saying you're sorry but that's never going to be enough if the other person/people aren't prepared to accept it.

VioletSky Wed 11-Sept-24 21:34:58

I have never understood why it's so difficult to say sorry for some people

"I can see that you are hurting and I am so sorry for my part in that, I really want to have a good relationship, please can we discuss how to make that happen"

Harris27 Wed 11-Sept-24 21:39:29

If I didn’t go and visit my middle son he wouldn’t bother with us. We haven’t fallen out but he just goes his own sweet way. My other two sons don’t have much contact with him either no explanation offered. Sometimes we have to work through the pain and accept what we have left. So sad and sorry for your situation.

Smileless2012 Wed 11-Sept-24 21:42:47

Sometimes we have to work through the pain and accept what we have left yes we do Harris flowers.

RubyLegends Wed 11-Sept-24 21:57:16

VioletSky

I have never understood why it's so difficult to say sorry for some people

"I can see that you are hurting and I am so sorry for my part in that, I really want to have a good relationship, please can we discuss how to make that happen"

And what do people who have said sorry in this way do when that apology is accepted on the surface then a whole other list of grievances appear.

Apologising in this way can be a gateway to further abuse, it's not necessarily a gateway to a resolution.

RubyLegends Wed 11-Sept-24 21:59:41

@Harris. Yes, sometimes this is the only option we have. Working through this kind of pain seems to just be another part of parenting that was never in the books.

Smileless2012 Wed 11-Sept-24 22:00:25

Apologising in this way can be a gateway to further abuse, it's not necessarily a gateway to resolution good point Ruby and the reason I would never apologise for something I haven't said or done.

VioletSky Wed 11-Sept-24 22:03:43

RubyLegend I'm not suggesting apologising to an abusive person

But I did in fact apologise to my mother (and abusive person) for my part in arguments etc

It's just the right thing to do and helped me heal

RubyLegends Wed 11-Sept-24 22:49:34

VioletSky

RubyLegend I'm not suggesting apologising to an abusive person

But I did in fact apologise to my mother (and abusive person) for my part in arguments etc

It's just the right thing to do and helped me heal

I can understand your reasons for apologising and it gave you a path towards healing.

Apologising can also expose a pattern of behaviour which helps give you permission for withdrawing from a relationship.

The 'right thing to do' per se is highly subjective but the 'right thing to do' for YOU is essential. There comes a time when your own needs trump those of others and you font need to justify those to anyone.

VioletSky Thu 12-Sept-24 07:37:29

It drops people's defences, they can see that you care about the relationship

VioletSky Thu 12-Sept-24 07:38:42

I've met a few people in life who won't apologise for anything and they have all been unsafe

Smileless2012 Thu 12-Sept-24 08:21:24

There comes a time when your own needs trumps those of others and you don't need to justify those to anyone quite true Ruby.

RubyLegends Thu 12-Sept-24 11:44:37

VioletSky

It drops people's defences, they can see that you care about the relationship

I do think it can do this.

It can also be a power play - apologies which are demanded but are for things that haven't happened or been said - to test how far you will go before accepting their control. A mind game.

However, I do think it can be a powerful gesture which may just break through and help things to change for the better

VioletSky Thu 12-Sept-24 13:17:22

Yes

Babs03 Thu 12-Sept-24 13:59:53

We apologised for everything bar the weather with our daughter but each time she just went on to accuse us of something else, it was never enough, and she certainly would never apologise for the pain she caused to ourselves and her sisters. And if she accepted our apology or apologised herself it would mean she could no longer play the victim, so of course was like trying to square a circle and in the end it caused such mental anguish that we had to pull back.

VioletSky Thu 12-Sept-24 16:43:55

Sometimes protecting your own mental health is all you can do

We can't fix others, I my ourselves

VioletSky Thu 12-Sept-24 16:44:08

Sorry

Only ourselves

Caleo Thu 12-Sept-24 17:28:42

There is a difference between saying you are sorry about a misunderstanding , and apologising. The difference is that an apology recognises that one is responsible for it.

How may you phrase the former so that it's not taken to be an apology?

VioletSky Thu 12-Sept-24 17:43:45

Sorry as an admission of responsibility?

Hmm

I don't think that is how that works really

You can be sorry someone is hurting or sorry for your own specific actions/reactions

Relationships are not a court of law anyway, you aren't going to be imprisoned for being sorry