My mother just rubs me the wrong way. If we weren't mother and daughter I don't think we'd be anything more than church acquaintances.
I'm from overseas and moved to the US almost 12 years ago. About 2 years ago Mum emigrated here too and moved into the same neighborhood I live in, which means we're in the same ward.
I have already had to ask her not to share certain things about my childhood with ward members as it makes it difficult for people to take me seriously (you expect it when you're a kid but not when you're almost 40!).
This evening we had an argument and she called me a [female dog] in the hearing of my 4 young children. I told her to get out - because I was so angry - and she did, but now I'm fairly certain that she will be telling all her friends in the ward how rude I was, etc.
I had been wondering, in the 10 years I'd been away from family, why my brother was keeping her at a distance, but now I think I understand. She's really not the same person I remember at all... and much more "mother-in-law-ish" than I would ever have imagined.
How do I maintain a respectful mother/daughter relationship without feeling like a door mat and exposing my children to behavior that I wouldn't want them to emulate?
Feeling guilty and disappointed...
