The long stay in hospital - 1978

The story begins in late 1977. My mother decided to tell me quite angrily that I had probably got the girl I was seeing pregnant and we would have funny babies. This upset me as it wasn’t true(my first successful sex was to come in 1983) and I asked for an apology. She refused claiming she hadn’t said what she said. I was stubborn and pressed the point. A 6 month war of words ensued. In the end she decided with my dad that I needed to go into hospital. The pdoc who quite frankly was an ignorant, drunken cow agreed. It was either go in voluntarily or be sectioned. I had done nothing wrong but there followed a 9 month stay in hospital before the pdoc said she could no longer keep me there.
Parental mistreatment comes in many forms.

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I have mixed feelings about my parents. My mother also said I’d never be as good as my father when I was 9 or so(even though she constantly argued with him) and regularly told me I was an awkward baby/toddler/child etc.
The worst things my father ever did were (1) Thumping me because he found a form for a weekend break for two I was thinking of having with the girl I was seeing. He was incensed that I was spending benefit money in that way (2) Thumping me another time because I disagreed with him.
Several times the thought of disowning my parents has crossed my mind but I was always swayed not to by the thought that things might get better.
Since being with his second wife my father has become a lot more mellow. We haven’t argued in many years. However he switches off when it comes to anything that isn’t positive/good news. He chose to bugger off and work in the States when
I was at a low ebb and then decided to stay there. For the last 30 plus years I’ve seen him about once a year for about half a day. My brother and I are slotted in like appointments in a business diary to fit round his schedule and what he wants.

My mother never really changed. She could be fairly loving but when she had had too much to drink(which was quite often) she was paranoid and verbally vicious. She was always slow to praise and quick to criticise.

That must gave been tough.
Parents really do play quite a role in life