A Mother's Betrayal

  • Thread starter Thread starter ILuvMy3Angels
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I

ILuvMy3Angels

Guest
I am new here at Catholic forums. I am quite hesitant to share my problem because of embarrassment about what my mother had done but nevertheless, I know in my heart that I need to do this not to feel better, but to be able to express my emotions which I have kept to myself for several weeks now, and to be able to seek some pieces of advise from some members here in CAF who may have had the same experiences themselves. I apologize if my thread is very long.

I had always been close to my mother. I considered her as my bestfriend. I told her almost everything that happened in my life. I noticed that as I was getting older she would always praise me to the point that even when I made mistakes in my life, she would not bother to tell me that I did something wrong and I needed to correct those mistakes. That made me realize at some point in my life, that she was spoiling me too much.

She denied the fact that I was being spoiled by her. She said she just loved me too much and she didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. NEVER!!! Hmmmm, that made me doubtful of her again. But we remained very close to each other. We were more like sisters.

She and my father had marital problems (financial, emotional) most of the time and when I finally started working (I was already married at that time but with no children yet), my husband and I had frequently helped them financially. That started in 1996. After several years, my hubby and I found out that my parents had been doing drugs and that was the reason why they had been struggling financially for years.

I had forgiven them because I loved them and they’re my parents. But the financial help we had bestowed upon them had affected us greatly. My husband almost left me because of this. When we had our daughters, we were still helping them financially but not as much as we used to before because I was no longer working and just taking care of our children.

Despite of all these, I had remained very close to my mother. By the way, I never mentioned anything about being close to my father. The reason why we never became close was because since I was a child, my mother had told me many negative things about my father. He had cheated on her when I was 7 and had a child with the other woman. My mother had always portrayed herself as the victim and my father as the abuser. I must admit, it was very wrong for me to have judged my father without talking to him and asking him whether everything that my mom had told me against him was true.

It was only until several weeks ago that I had discovered that the great image that my mother had portraid to me for 35 years was the complete opposite of what she really is. Prior to this, I had already been hearing some negative stories from other people about my mother. But because of my great love for her, I disregarded what they said and continued to believe all her LIES.

I found out that my mother had been ruining other people’s lives (including her relatives and in-laws) by making up lies against them, she had multiple affairs in the past and the present one is with a guy who is 12 years younger than me (and the worst part of this is that she and my father are still together and my teenage sister knows about this and thinks that what my mother is doing is ok), my mother did not show love for her parents when they were still alive especially when her mother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. She never took care of her even for a day (I was very young a that time that’s why I did not recall those events), she had fooled a lot of people, she didn’t get along with almost everyone she knew, and she had been bad-mouthing me with other people. I do have evidences about these things as some of you may ask if I am accurate about the information that I have gotten. Aside from talking with several people, I have done my own investigation, and yes everything I have listed are true.

I am still at lost, and still in disbelief. I cannot seem to forgive her. During the first days that she found out that I knew everythin, she kept on apologizing. But now, it seems like she no longer cares about what she has been doing and does not seem to have remorse for her sins.

I still do love my mother very much. But I do not think I can ever trust and bring back our relationship. I would appreciate any advise anyone can offer. Thank you very much.
 
I still do love my mother very much. But I do not think I can ever trust and bring back our relationship.
I have quoted above the only line from your post that ultimately really matters. You love your mother very much and you do not think you can ever trust her or bring back your previous relationship. Under the circumstances, you may well be correct. And that is okay. In fact, the statement that you still love her very much is quite admirable and mature. So, however, is not just jumping back into trust in this seemingly unhealthy relationship. You didn’t know it was unhealthy, now you do. You are in my prayers.
 
Wow I am so sorry for what you are going through. I have no advise but want you to know that I will keep you and your mother in my prayers.
Peace,
Amanda
 
It sounds like your mom has some sociopathic tendencies. People like this are very good liars and manipulators. She probably doesn’t know when the truth starts and stops, either. My brother and sister independently have hooked up with spouses that have these tendencies. For years, we were so confused by the lies they would tell. Now, we don’t believe anything they say. Even my sister, who remains with her husband, tells us not to believe him.

I don’t really believe that sociopathy is a mental illness. I think it comes from hardened and habitual sin. I think the devil is extra influential on these people.

I wouldn’t trust your mom, either.

But…definitely, keep loving her. And, fast for her. And, do Novenas for her. And pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for. Her conscience is broken and her relationship with God is broken. She can break these bonds of sin with God’s help. Encourage her to go to Confession.

Remember that God loves your mom as his daughter. And, he is grieving over her, too. And, he knows your pain. And, remember, that Jesus was betrayed by one he loved very much, too.

I’ll pray for you and your mom tonight when I say my rosary.
 
Try this:" Mom,as you know I rarely asked you for anything. This time I am going to ask you to do something that is very important for me.I want you to start going with us to church on Sundays.It will be good for my children to see you come as a family with us."

It is a start. Not a one time event but make it a habit to go pick her up and all go together.She will be listening to the homilies, and who knows one day the Holy Spirit will bring her to confession and put her on the right path.
I wish you the best.
Tam
 
Thank you for all your replies. I really appreciate all your advise and prayers.

First of all, let me correct a word which I realized I had misspelled earlier, “portraid”. It should have been “portrayed” 🙂

Anyway, it is difficult right now for me to encourage my mother to go to confession because like I said, she does not feel any remorse or guilt for her sins. She is currently blaming others for what she’s going through. Yes, she is very manipulative in terms of twisting things around and making someone believe that everything she is telling is true. Her worst enemies right now are her one and only sibling: her brother and his family. She has been telling lies about them and had ruined their reputation because of this.

She had even lied a year ago about having a cyst on her breast just to be able to get some money from us. It is unbelievable to imagine all the things that she had lied about.

All along I had thought she was the most loving and caring mother, but she was not after all.

She lives in another country, by the way. She left a few years ago with my father and sister and decided to stay there for good. But although we are apart, she still gave me problems and now this is the worst thing that has ever happened. Our relationship is shattered!
 
I am so very sorry about your troubles.

What I wanted to say is kind of trite; nonetheless, it’s true:

Forgiveness is not for your mom – it’s for you. You should forgive her, but that doesn’t mean you should trust her or believe her. It will unburden you to forgive her, as God commands us to forgive.

It might be easier if you consider that she is most likely mentally ill. Perhaps it is the drugs, but it sounds like she has a Personality disorder. In some ways, it is not her fault – if it is a mental illness, she needs a doctor. If it is drugs - well, than, it’s the drugs talking and not her – and she needs rehab.

I think the best you can do is to pray for the Lord to help you forgive her past transgressions and give you the strength to separate yourself from her influence. If you feel the need to be in touch with her, you should encourage her every time to seek help.

Do not engage with her in regard to her lies. If she tries to explain it away, just continue to state: “Mom, you need help.” Don’t get into an argument or debate.

If your father is still doing drugs, I would say you should encourage him as well to seek help. And perhaps an apology is in order: “Dad, I am sorry I misjudged you all these years.” Although I don’t feel it’s your fault – you were a child influenced by her mother in thinking these things about your father. Of course you believed her! Why wouldn’t you?

Good luck and God bless.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top