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Estrangement

Near Estrangment but confused about something

(230 Posts)
Starfire57 Mon 22-Dec-25 04:04:15

I have been having issues with my daughter ever since her husband left her. And she has a best friend, since high school, who claims she was abused. I don't know if that is true or not, but, seems my daughter talks a lot about and has now claimed she was an abused child.

She even is starting to make my grandkids think I am not safe in some way or was a bad parent/grandparent. They told me and it suck that the oldest one seems to believe it. The youngest told me she doesn't believe it.

Anyway, this is complete fabrication and I am thought maybe the best friend has been projecting her childhood onto my daughter.

My confusion is, when I offered to discuss the alledged abuse, she got mad that I didn't believe or acknowledge she was abused.

I went mad trying to get just ONE example. Just ONE. A long message conversation with me offering to talk in person or at least give one example on the messages.

She kept ranting about me and how I act, called me psychotic if I am called out on something.

Well, I have recently been deciding when she does say something very untrue to me, I don't agree with her. I've always been more of a silent person when attacked, will just leave the room, ignore it, etc. but lately I decided to at least basically defend myself like most people would.

Not arguing, just saying yeah no that's not true kinda thing. No big deal. That's now psychotic in her view.

Anyway my question is, has anyone here had an experience that when you ask about abuse, with the tone of if I did something I will apologize kinda thing, that then the adult child avoids, attacks and basically never tell you what you did?

It's completely maddening. You feel so hurt yet you are trying to understand by getting an answer. It's looney.

So finally, she mentioned children need to feel safe. I had a husband who yelled at me all the time. I thought ok, so maybe she was scared of him?

That's reasonable I think with a young child. But that's not abuse if I didn't know she was scared at times. Most the time she was always smiling. I can't read minds.

I told her if just once she told me she was scared, I may have tried to help her. But not knowing her feelings isn't abuse, it's lack of knowledge.

No matter, I told her I had no idea, that what she said was valid. Yet she still insisted she was abused and she said I won't accept it.

Again, how can you accept what exactly?

Don't kids know what happened?

I read about Mackalay Culkin and his story about his dad slapping him across the face and how Culkin said he had no bed to sleep on while his dad had a large comfy bed, etc.

He had examples of abuse.

What is the deal when an adult child can give no examples?

No clues? and the idea when you say you are ready to listen anyway, they don't want to talk or they avoid/distract with their opinions of your behaviors rather than on the subject of the abuse?

It got to the point of so many horrid accusations of abuse, again, using only the word abuse, even saying I do it with my grandchildren (too many hugs? idk?)

Now I am worried this will end badly. I did acknowledge her fear as a kid. But this is kinda nuts. Anyone who knows what this is, give me a clue.

I feel like the best friend projected so much of her own childhood now that my daughter thinks it's hers. I mean, she's known the friend for decades but seems now that her husband took off on her leaving her a single mom with 2 kids, it seems now something is seriously wrong. A couple of years ago, when her husband first left, she talked alot about her friend helping abused kids, and there was a predator defense protocol that the friend told her about for kids.

She used it one day to throw me out after I teared up a little when she yelled at me.

I never asked her why she used that. But she's a grown adult.

It's mental.

Does anyone know what this is?

icanhandthemback Thu 26-Mar-26 15:33:01

I don't think anybody thinks it didn't happen DiamondLily, it is the lack of ownership that is grating.

Cossy Thu 26-Mar-26 15:33:40

Starfire

It pains me to say this, because I feel so guilty, but my children were abused.

Both my husband and I are responsible.

I didn’t realise what was happening.

My husband, who I chose to stay with, was verbally abusive as he was struggling to control his alcohol addiction, I worked evenings and he looked after them, not terribly well.

Why my children only chose to tell me when they were no longer needing “looking after” in their late teens, I don’t know.

It was a stressful and horrible time.

Yet I remember some lovely family times too.

I’ve apologised to my children for not doing something about things.

They’ve forgiven me. We live civilly together, they’ll never really forgive their dad because he cannot/will not discuss it, he denies it happened.

He was brought up by a physically, mentally and emotionally abusive father and a mentally unwell mother.

Whatever happened to your daughter, it’s real to her and has clearly damaged her.

You don’t have to remember specific incidents, you need to tell her you believe her and that you’re sorry you didn’t realise.

Maybe then you can both become closer, she can heal and your relationship with your DGC can continue.

There are many many reasons women don’t get divorced.

DiamondLily Thu 26-Mar-26 15:44:49

icanhandthemback

I don't think anybody thinks it didn't happen DiamondLily, it is the lack of ownership that is grating.

No. I used to work in Child Protection (in the UK) and I know all this impacts on children.

But one parent is sometimes the ‘victim’ of an abuser. The only one to blame here is the abuser.

Blaming the abused just doesn't sit right. It’s not always easy for a victim to leave their abuser. 🤷‍♀️

icanhandthemback Thu 26-Mar-26 16:44:46

DiamondLily

icanhandthemback

I don't think anybody thinks it didn't happen DiamondLily, it is the lack of ownership that is grating.

No. I used to work in Child Protection (in the UK) and I know all this impacts on children.

But one parent is sometimes the ‘victim’ of an abuser. The only one to blame here is the abuser.

Blaming the abused just doesn't sit right. It’s not always easy for a victim to leave their abuser. 🤷‍♀️

I was abused by my ex and it was all watched by my daughter who has been left scarred by that experience. I take responsibility for putting her in that position and staying for so long. I don't accept I have no blame. Obviously there was a time when I couldn't see the wood from the trees but the first time it happened, I made excuses for his behaviour. I'm an intelligent person, anything I'd ever read suggested this was the nature of the beast and would only get worse. At some point in those early days, I should have got out and run for the hills. I don't think it should be beyond a person to accept their decisions affected their children and offer their apology even if they weren't the one doing the abusing. They may not have intended harm but it is a consequence. That said, I don't think you should be beating yourself up for the decisions you made. Most people act out of the best intentions but you can say you're sorry and listen to your child without judging them for their feelings.