Dear Eric: My father passed from cancer in 2020. He and my mother were married for 53 years. One year later, my only sibling died suddenly from a massive heart attack. So, it’s just my mother and I left. We have never had a good relationship. Very tense, lots of jealousy (her, not me).
Both my parents were very close to my children growing up. Since my dad and brother have passed, my mom is increasingly mean, angry, rude and spreads rumors about me and my kids. To the point where she told several people, including my long-term boyfriend, that I cheated on my ex-husband (the father of my children). That is an out-and-out lie.
I am at a place in my life where I am no longer willing to allow her to disturb my peace. My question is, as her only living child, am I in the wrong? We live two states away, when I do see her, we are fine in short spurts. But unless she is here visiting, there is no contact by my choice. Can you offer some advice?
—Distant Relatives
Dear Relatives: I’m very sorry for the losses you endured. Navigating grief is hard enough without also having to navigate a contentious and possibly abusive relationship with your mother as well. Given that things were never great with you, and that her grief process may be prompting her to act out in unkind and unhealthy ways, the boundary you’ve set sounds like a healthy one. There’s healing to be done all around, but it can’t be done if your relationship with your mother is creating new emotional injuries.
It could be productive to tell her, in a calm moment, about why you’re setting a boundary and what it is. “From my perspective, every time we are together [x happens] and that’s not something that I’m willing to endure. I’d like to find a different way of relating to each other. If you’re interested in working on this together, I’m open to it. But, as we figure that out, these shorter visits are the best option for me.”
Relationships evolve over their lifetimes. For them to remain healthy, we have to advocate for what we need and be clear about what’s not acceptable.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
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