Mum’s grief is getting worse since my sister died 3 yrs ago.

Hello, my sister died 3 years ago of cervical cancer. She was 36 years old and had three children aged between 3 - 11. My mum has been grieving ever since, but it seems to be getting a lot worse. 

She blames my sisters partner for her death, she never goes to see my sisters grave and she never talks about my sister or the kids and doesn’t see the kids. My dad does his best.. goes and see’s the kids, my sisters grave and tries to help my Mum - but she thinks that everything he does is wrong. She thinks that because he speaks to my sisters partner and has thrown himself into his hobby that he doesn’t care. It’s almost as though she thinks he should be sitting in a dark room and crying. I live away from our home town but try my best to go back as much as possible.

In the last couple of months I have had text messages from several family members saying they have received unkind text messages from my Mum because they have invited my sisters partner to family gatherings (mainly for the kids to be invited), my sisters partner has had to block her number due to abusive messages she has sent him. I had my Dad call me the other day at midnight and he was sat in a a car park as he couldn’t go home because my Mum had totally lost it and was throwing stuff around the kitchen and shouting how horrible he is. Anyone who knows my Dad, would say that he’s the nicest, quietest man they know. 

After talking with my Dad we thought it would be a good idea to invite my Mum up to where I live for the night so she could get away and we could go out for dinner and we could have a chat and hopefully maybe me addressing some of the above... might help a little bit. So I’ve invited her up and her first thought was that my Dad and I her conspiring against her in some fashion. She’s coming up this weekend and to say I’m worried and nervous is an understatement. 

Does anyone have any advice on how I should go about talking to my Mum about this?

Any help and adivce or any do’s and don’ts Would be really appreciated. 

Thank you. 

Parents
  • Hello there. I feel for you. My sister was widowed suddenly four years ago. She behaved in ways that alienated a lot of people, particularly her in-laws, and her daughter. My neice messaged me at all hours wanting me to "do" something. (We don't live in the same area.) It's pretty stressful trying not to be seen to take sides. 

    Back to your mum. It sounds like her behavior is making life difficult for virtually everyone. First thing to remember is, you are not responsible for what she does, or how other people react. That took me a while to work out. Of course you want to help your dad, I get that. And you can still love someone. while not liking their behavior.

    I'd suggest that giving your parents a bit of breathing space from each other is a wise move. Personally, I'd take things very cautiously. Let your mum relax a bit if possible. Make it clear you're not taking sides or reporting back to anyone. And maybe ask your dad to stay in a month or so, meaning they have another break from each other. 

    Don't forget to look after yourself as well. Easy to do. It's massively stressful. I wish I could give you more advice, it's just so individual. You need to do what you can live with, yourself, not what you think is expected of you by others. That includes ignoring random online suggestions from someone you've never met!

    regards, gamechanger

     

     

Reply
  • Hello there. I feel for you. My sister was widowed suddenly four years ago. She behaved in ways that alienated a lot of people, particularly her in-laws, and her daughter. My neice messaged me at all hours wanting me to "do" something. (We don't live in the same area.) It's pretty stressful trying not to be seen to take sides. 

    Back to your mum. It sounds like her behavior is making life difficult for virtually everyone. First thing to remember is, you are not responsible for what she does, or how other people react. That took me a while to work out. Of course you want to help your dad, I get that. And you can still love someone. while not liking their behavior.

    I'd suggest that giving your parents a bit of breathing space from each other is a wise move. Personally, I'd take things very cautiously. Let your mum relax a bit if possible. Make it clear you're not taking sides or reporting back to anyone. And maybe ask your dad to stay in a month or so, meaning they have another break from each other. 

    Don't forget to look after yourself as well. Easy to do. It's massively stressful. I wish I could give you more advice, it's just so individual. You need to do what you can live with, yourself, not what you think is expected of you by others. That includes ignoring random online suggestions from someone you've never met!

    regards, gamechanger

     

     

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