Hi Kaliope and hvert,

Thanks very much for your kind replies. I think that I'm slowly beginning to develop a different perspective on my situation. Seeing your supportive words and excellent advice has really helped. I think you are right, I should limit the amount that I divulge and also seek some counselling to find better ways of dealing with this. Also, I totally agree, part of the problem is that I'm not sure what normal boundaries are. I think it will help to set firm boundaries and reassert my independence when necessary. I will Google "martr mother"