Another lovely gift and one I’ve tried out myself, the Afternoon Tea for two voucher from Buyagift can be used at locations all across the country. When my mum lost her job, suddenly I started saving. It was like a subconscious reaction. I’d been financially dependent for a while but still was living like zero wouldn’t actually mean zero,’ says Hannah, from Manchester. Got to say, the only person who was absolutely great/supportive was my ex/the father of my DC, who kind of knew from our long chats over the years about our families, just why I felt so unbearably sad.

It was one of my worst parenting moments, but it taught me a very specific lesson – I simply can’t do it all. I tried not to laugh, but I did. My oldest chimed in with, “Yeah buddy, it’s gone. Mom went crazy on that penguin.” She snatched up the cooler, stomped into the driveway, and threw it down. My brother, sister, and I watched in awe (and growing alarm) from the safety of a closed screened door. Mommy had never behaved this way before, and we were frightened. She is currently sobbing extremely loudly that it’s echoing through the house. She screamed “I’m mental I need to go to a mental hospital” and hit her head and cried loudly. I’m shaking my heart is pounding I don’t know what to do I’m home alone with her... I didn’t really understand the level of wealth I’d been born into until I was much older. It’s not like I was getting dropped to school in a Lamborghini. They drove a fairly average family car – an Audi, I think – and the house I grew up in is nowhere near as big as the one I live in now. My dad is very low key. The value of money was the biggest thing for my dad and my mum because they both came from having no money. My mum is done with men. She says she never wants to remarry. Now her life is her grandkidsTry to get some help, for a break each day, and ensure you get some quality time with her before and after, even if it's brief. Ive lost my appetite, I feel guilty for not letting it go and just eating the damn pasta. I know I shouldn’t talk about myself like this but I feel stupid for not keeping my mouth shut. I fear this will continue the rest of the week. She told me not to cook for her ever again, tomorrow night the dinner dilemma will continue. Having children has made my sister, Petra, and me even closer. Her daughter is a year older than Sophia, so it’s nice to have that person to just say: “Is this normal?” I also have a 62-year-old half-sister called Deborah from Dad’s first marriage but I don’t know her at all. I don’t have anything against her, but our paths have never crossed. When a parent is prone to toxicity, they often have a Rolodex of biting phrases that come out on a regular basis. Things like “why don’t you just grow up” or “I never said that” might ring a bell. And if it truly is an ongoing problem, it can start to affect your relationship with them as well as how you feel about yourself. If they’ve lost interest in doing stuff they love, are constantly down, aren’t looking after themselves like they used to, then they might benefit from talking to someone. Although it’s nigh-on impossible to get a depressed person to see a doctor, it might be worth suggesting it.

She just screamed at me because I asked her to play by herself and told her I'm not doing it anymore. Saying 'I have no friends and you won't play with me, you're so horrible' she does have friends, she means not with her right now, it made me feel awful but I just can't do it all the time. He’s 7yo and it’s the first time I’ve ever been absolutely furious with him. I’ve just split up from Dh and with that and the stress of trying to keep my elderly parents safe and well I’m just done in and exhausted emotionally and physically. I used to say I love you very much but I am not happy with your behaviour, it is not acceptable and I am not doing x,y,z with you until you can behave better.If letting her read isn't working, then how about audiobooks? She can lie with the light off and listen to those with her eyes closed and she may find it easier to relax and doze off when the pressure's off - even if it's much later than you'd like, although I wouldn't worry about that too much actually. Another idea might to be also get her one of those lamps that gradually fades down like the sun setting over a long period, so she can stay in bed listening to a book or reading or even playing quietly with some small toys (a couple of dolls or action figures, or a puzzle or something) while the light gradually changes and helps her wind down. I have a very loving marriage thankfully, so I'm not alone. But in terms of friends I feel quite discarded, but wonder if it's just me being over sensitive due to my head being messed up with the bereavement? Sometimes toxic comments go beyond words. If your mom lets out a long sigh or a guttural noise when you try to talk to her, Pinsly says it could be her way of showing that “you’ve let her down.” If it happens regularly, it can start to feel toxic, especially if your mom does it as a way to make you give in and meet her needs. When she hits the dog she needs to know that it is not acceptable. I would make a consequence specific to something she really likes. Hit the dog = your favourite thing gets taken away/ doesn't happen. Afterward, you beat yourself up about it — because you’re not supposed to get that mad. You’re supposed to maintain grace and stability at all times. When you’re a mommy, you are supposed to keep your cool.

When mine started I would change the tone of my voice and say that it was not acceptable behaviour. I'd tell her I was going to count to 5 and she would stop/ do what I asked or there would be a consequence. Always told her the consequence - you will have the toy taken away until tomorrow/ you will go to bed / I will not read you a bedtime story etc. When I was pregnant I used to put DS behind a baby gate for 2 hours "quiet time" every afternoon just to get through the day! My idle threat fell on deaf ears as I continued home with the miniature tyrants screaming that they wanted to swim. I tried to text my husband to calm me down but he was in a meeting and couldn’t respond. Especially if they’re alone. But even if they’ve got a great relationship with your other parent/loads of mates, it’s important to ring them three times more than you would normally. Because they might want to rant, they might want to talk it through, and they probably feel incredibly shit so having the human they birthed chatting to them will automatically make them feel better. I was 23 or 24 when my parents divorced and it was awful. I think the older you are, the worse it is, because you have had all those Christmases and birthdays together and all those amazing memories. Maybe the younger you are, the more oblivious you are and you just get used to how things are. Suddenly, I felt so guilty about who I should see for Christmas. I felt totally torn.

lose (one's) shit

Bear in mind that prints come unframed, so you’ll have to get them framed separately; I’m currently waiting on a custom mount for my picture so that I can display the whole thing. Kong, J. 2018. Effect of Caring for an Abusive Parent on Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem. Gerontologist. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnx053. Fosco, GM. 2014. Interparental Boundary Problems, Parent-Adolescent Hostility, and Adolescent-Parent Hostility: A Family Process Model for Adolescent Aggression Problems. Couple Family Psychol. doi: 10.1037/cfp0000025. You scream at your kids. They run for the hills as your swirling tornado of emotion overcomes their physical space.