Tag: grief

A whole new set of Daddy issues…

Last night I got a call from Dad asking me to take him to Emergency for some ongoing back pain. I arrived at his girlfriends house shortly thereafter. She explained to me that he had been having this pain for weeks and today he had been doubled over in pain more than once. Off to emerg we went.

Now the process with my Dad and his girlfriend is quite intricate. She has Parkinson’s and moves at the pace of a sloth riding a snail. Dad has Dementia and dotes on this woman like i’ve never seen before. Her mind is sharp, but her body is slow and my Dads mind is going but his body seems to function fine for the most part. Together they have formed a co-dependant relationship where she does the thinking & he does the walking. To get them into my car (because they both refuse to use any wheeled devices like walkers or scooters) there’s a stool, she has to climb up, while Dad tries to scoot her in, then he buckles her in, usually struggling to find the clip for the buckle, then the cane, then the purse, then Dad finally gets himself in once he’s checked his pockets four times…

Aaaanyway, we finally get to emergency, they immediately give him basic painkillers like Advil or Tylenol, can’t remember which. We entered emergency relatively quickly which was nice compared to the usual six hour line up. They take dad for an x-ray & by the time he comes back from that, he’s basically forgotten why we’re there…

While we wait for results, his girlfriend decides she needs to use the washroom, this is generally a 25-30 minute activity which means Dad will ask about 17 times where she is… & answer patiently every time. Then he starts to play with the medical equipment, i never realised how many buttons are in emergency rooms, he eventually find something similar to binoculars I guess which he of course needs to adjust… So finally I say “Dad, just sit on the bed” to which he replies, “I’m not sitting on the bed, i’m not a patient”. I turn my face to the wall for a giggle…

The doctor arrives… what a condescending C***! She says something along the lines of “So, you’ve had back pain for a month & instead of seeing your family doctor, you decide to come to emerg…” I’m pretty sure the look on my face was what changed her attitude pretty quick, but she proceeded to examine dad’s back while telling us the x-ray was clear & there’s nothing they could do in emergency that night & he needs to see his family doctor, wrote a prescription & offered a shot for pain…

My Dad Hates his family doctor, he doesn’t remember much but he knows that’s the guy who took his driver’s license away. For me to take Dad to any doctor is a struggle on the best of days, but to see that guy… even worse, so if Dad asks to go to Emergency, we go.

I think it’s time to carry a sign to show people That says : Dad has Dementia, Please be Patient with him (Fine print: or, i’ll slap you). The lack of empathy is truly evident in the world since Dad’s been slipping. I feel like i can see when a human being is clearly confused, or not understanding what’s going on, but some people just give snotty frustrated responses which tends to push my ‘slap their lips off’ button… but I don’t… because well, prison… I do understand the frustration, a lot of people are frustrated & have been pushed to the limit, I know what people in customer service deal with all day, so I feel for you, but I feel more for my Dad…

Despite my complicated history with my Dad, he’s still human & still my Dad & at the end of the day, I protect that old fart with my whole being whether he deserves it or not, so if you’re reading this journal entry, be kind to old people. It’s actually a very odd type of sad watching a bully lose the ability to bully so even if you don’t feel respect, please be kind…

From a young age, about five years old, I’ve always tried to make my family think i’m happy & strong because I was worried about their feelings & perception for as long as i could remember. Resilience must be in my blood. I was made to feel like I owed them something by my Dad because they adopted myself & big brother as babies. Literally, he would say “You Owe Me”. My Dad & even my Mom to an extent, were very good at pointing out what you’re doing wrong, especially if you’re proud of something. Maybe a boomer thing? Not sure.

I’ve been de-escalating my family and trying to ‘fix’ everything forrrrrever. That’s where this beautiful, dry, sarcastic humour comes from, it’s a gift really… Humour as a defensive mechanism, yes please! Just watch me end violence & create world peace with a fart joke! You’ll see…

My family has been extremely good at taking advantage of guilt. Guilt that should have never existed. When I look around, I know my brother and I were very lucky to be adopted as babies and not run around in foster care. My brother is un-diagnosed but on the spectrum and was bullied, berated & belittled by grown ups and peers & people who should’ve been a safe place for most of his life & still to this day. My parents stuck him in institutions & medicated him as if he was the problem. I think by the time society became more in tune with bullying and autism, it was a bit too late for him. My parents tried so hard to make him ‘normal’ with doctors, prescriptions & my Dad’s personal favourites, sarcasm & reverse psychology. My brother doesn’t understand sarcasm, or reverse physiology, therefore, he took all of that as literal criticism. My brother was the smartest person, always on the honour roll, fit & funny. If he was interested in something, he knew every fact & detail. One time, I pulled up in front of his house to drop him off and he said to me “why didn’t you pull in the driveway?” & I said ” I dunno’ why is the sky blue?” & he proceeded to explain gases & atmosphere & what not, so I was like “ya, obviously”…

Those things didn’t matter to my dad. My Dad was a womaniser & saw females as flesh sleeves, holes to be penetrated & beings to cook & do laundry. Even today, while dementia eats his brain away he tells me doesn’t want “one of them women doctors”… (I tell him not to worry, they’re transgender)…

My brother always saw women as people and not something to screw, very confusing for the old man. My Dad tried his hardest to ‘get my brother’ laid & couldn’t understand when my brother was uninterested & just liked talking to women. FYI, my big bro did finally get laid in his twenties… I was a very proud little sister… We didn’t tell my Dad…

My Dad loved hookers… It’s weird to hear about your fathers favourite hookers… Dads, never tell your daughters about your favorite hooker, its weird!

Eventually, every person get’s tired of trying to survive in dysfunction. We get tired of overlooking red flags & making excuses for other people’s shitty behavior. We get tired of trying to convince people our worth & entertaining anyone who takes interest in us.

Here’s my solution, get yourself a Newfie! No matter how sad I’ve been in life, if my best Newfie bud is around I am guaranteed to laugh until it hurts. We met at a tailgate party when I was 17 and dating a man who was 23… Ew. She saw me immediately for who I was. I sat on the tailgate alone, away from the pedo’s of the small town I was living in at the time. Did you know it’s gross if you’re over 20 picking up highschool girls? It is, tell your friends. Anyway, she came over with a bottle of Newfoundland screech & apparently, I was the only one willing to drink the screech right out of the bottle with her. Instantly bonded for life. My Rock from the Rock.

I’m so sorry but, even when newfie’s are angry they’re funny! When my girl is hangry, it’s the funniest t’ing I’ve ever seen! I have no idea what she’s even talking about! I can honestly one hundred percent say, I’ve never been sad or unfed in Newfoundland. I don’t think she has any idea what a lucky ‘maid’ she is… Go!

Go to Newfoundland, pick one out & keep them!

Me & my Newfie will be driving across Canada together in September. I am very excited to be journaling about our adventure soon!

Some days, missing my kid feels like a kick in the heart area with a steel toe boot. I’m still unsettled after the drama from the weekend so today I wrote her a letter. I’m also writing this blog in hopes she might want to read what her ol mom has been up to some day… If i ever find out why she stopped talking to me, i’ll write it right here…

You may need some context to understand this letter.

Summed up:

-My daughter quit speaking to me a year ago

-I had an abusive ex 15 years-ish ago, who we will call Jack with a messed up daughter we call Anne (same age as my daughter)

-My Dad & me have a complicated relationship & his dementia has spun me for a loop…

-I love dogs more that most people & I had lost 3 dogs with in a year-it was devastating

I used letters in place of names for this blog…

-Y=My Daughter

-X=My daughter’s baby daddy

-O=My grandson

-S&B=those lil bitches

-L=those lil bitches mother

-J=my fella

-Q=My fellas son (what a trip he was)

-Did I mention I have a grandson & my daughters pregnant with a girl?

Well… here’s the letter…

Dear Y,

It’s been a year.

I am writing you this letter because you refuse to communicate with me. It’s childish on your part & frustrating on my part to be cut off without reason. S & B always have your attention & the way they behaved after a recent drag show we all attended is not ok. We were all there & I was perfectly fine not speaking to them, enjoyed an awesome show, which is what we were all there for. I had some laughs with friends & then for some reason S decided to start yelling at me & flipping me off while I was saying goodnight to some people in the parking lot. At first I walked away, I left, I actually went home, then I thought to myself ‘when will i ever get the chance to have a mature grown up conversation with these two’, so, I went back. A mature conversation does not seem to be a possibility with anyone. I had reached out to B a couple times before to try and ask how you were doing and she just comes at me like a snotty chihuahua & I got more frustrated so I stopped trying. I reached out to L because she’s a mother who should know how much it hurts not to see your daughter,expecting some kind of empathy & I kept getting blindsided. I asked L to talk to B about some of the things shes said & L laughed at me. I mean, B used to run up, hug me & call me Mom… WTF. But, at least I know in my heart I didn’t raise someone that disrespectful. I miss you like crazy & all that hurt just spilled over in the parking lot, but they don’t give a shit, just drama. Stir it where they can… I don’t know what they thought they would accomplish by starting things with me. Anyway, point is, It’s a small town, we’re probably going to run into each other & if people want to swear at me & yell at me & flip me off & make a scene, I can’t promise it’ll end well & I know it just makes things worse for you. They should know better, but they don’t & I’m quite happy to pretend I don’t know them. 

It’s hard not to be sad when there’s reminders everywhere & I cannot wait until I can sell the house and get gone. I think about you every day. It hurts like a gut punch some days. There’s moments I want to just shoot a text but can’t. I started to think I imagined how close we used to be but some good, real friends, reminded me it was real & awesome & i’m blessed to have a few good people around me, i’m grateful for it. I thought you & I could maybe exchange a few silly dm’s over time as an ice breaker. For me, it was a great nineteen years being your mom, no matter how much I screwed up (a lot, i’m aware), & how much I miss you now. I’ve chalked up losing a relationship with you to some bad karma & all i can say is i hope your kids never do this to you. I figure I am being punished for my behaviour in my 20s & making you live with Jack for those 2 years. I’ve made a ton of mistakes but have no problems apologizing for them, owning up to them, talking about them & learning from them. Everyone makes mistakes, all you can do is own them & give yourself gracefor things you did before you knew better. Accountability & Honesty is everything. Your Dad told me that Anne was touching you inappropriately & with out being able to talk to you about these things there is not much that I can do other than let you know, i’m open to communication with you anytime. I knew Anne had her own issues using masturbation as a distraction from stress but I had no idea she had done anything to you and I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me if she did. I never meant to hurt you or put my emotional baggage on you. I was honestly so stupid that I thought I could shield you from Jack’s crazy… I would look at Anne’s Mom & some of your other friends’ crackhead moms & think wasn’t doing such a bad job & I guess it was the excuse. I was also so stupid that I thought I needed a man, any man, it was just drilled into me from a young age that you should have one… so stupid… I was much older before I realized how stupid that was, Also, i kind of thought you knew that one… 

I did the best I could to keep the door open to your dad & step mom & family. I never got help or support from anyone other than Grandma & she was dealing with her own demons. I tried to co-parent, we weren’t good at it, no one saw me drowning & I pretended I wasn’t so why would they…. I feel like I never got to show up fully as a mother. After all, I had bills to pay, I had to work, sometimes two jobs, it wasn’t fair. There’s a pretty good chance I probably shouldn’t have been a mom but I’m still grateful I got you & I think we had some pretty great times! I’m glad I never missed a school play or piano recital & I made it to every riding lesson I could but I wish I could’ve just been there more. I’m grateful for every movie night, road trip & middle of the night rain stomps & gym time, dinners at grandmas & wrestling like sisters. I even loved it every time you rolled your eyes at me… I always communicated with your dads family about what was going on in your life & I never kept your Dad from you ever although he blames me for doing so. One thing I have never budged on was thinking that you needed a relationship with your dad & his family. I pushed for that & now you have one so I guess that’s a win. The more people who love your children, the better!

I was just starting to feel like I could relax a little bit after you graduated & started college. I felt in my gut like things were going side ways the morning I picked you up from X’s, I just knew something was different. But, I still liked X when I first met him, I don’t anymore & I got nothing to lose so I’m not going to pretend I do. I know chaos & I know where he comes from. Before him, I had a daughter & within a year, you were pregnant, had a son & then gone. I don’t blame him, I don’t know what you’ve told him or why. All I know for sure is, by the time X came along, my ‘cup was empty’ as they say & now I know too much. & It’s not a secret, I was not happy when you got pregnant, I wanted you to have some fun & some care free days & get to know yourself before becoming a mom. Sometimes things happen in life you don’t ask for & you’re never the same. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t, I was exhausted & had nothing to give. With Grandpa & his Dementia & the loss of Dog 1, then Dog 2 then Dog 3 & Q coming to live with us. Also, people are allowed space to grieve for what they wanted for their children. But when O was born & of course I fell in love with him, & now he’s gone too. At this point, I’m not sure I’d survive getting cut off from another grandbaby like that. It took me 6 months after you stopped talking to me to get out of bed to do anything other than the basics. J is one patient man. The last time you & I exchanged words was the day you came and cleared out the shed, & I should’ve of known… 

Asking you to go to your Dad’s to live with X, O & your dog was not an easy choice but seems to have worked out for the best, it wasn’t intended as a punishment. I know you were mad, but I didn’t expect to be shunned. You just don’t cut people you love for a whole year. I completely understand needing space, I mean ya, take time, of course, but I thought we’d work it out… Anyway, the reason you cut me off no longer matters. You win. I’m sure you’ll be upset about some things in this letter. I don’t understand how you can go from speaking everyday to someone you love and then just nothing. It just made no sense to me. It’s been a spiral of losses & the reason you are pretending I don’t exist, no longer matters. I respect your boundaries & so, you win, I’m letting it go. You can stop telling people I cut you off, because we know that’s not the truth. & also, it’s still ridiculous I’d have to speak to my own child through her boyfriend, (you’ll understand that one when your kids are bigger & someone comes between you). I’m not angry anymore, Just finished, I won’t reach out anymore because you don’t care or can’t care & that’s ok kid. Closure is not a gift we’re always granted. But if you choose to reach out some day, I’m open to communication with you. 

I hope you’re having the best time as a mom! I hope O is thriving, your pregnancy is going smooth and you keep in touch with your Grandma. I won’t bother to ask her how you are because it puts Grandma in a weird spot. Again though, it a small town & I get unsolicited updates anyways… 

Loving someone unconditionally doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to tell them when they are wrong or hurting you, if you have to tip toe around feelings like you’re on  eggshells, something needs to change. Everything between us at this point is hearsay & gossip & even though I’ve heard you think I don’t, I do love you unconditionally. Every mother wishes their children do better than they did & I wish that for you with my whole heart.

Again, Please tell your friends to take a page out of your book & if they see me in public, pretend I don’t exist.