Kelly

Your mom does not sound like a very nice person. That's tough. Try not to let her get a rise out of you, if that tends to escalate things. And she certainly does sound like the kind of person who confronting would be just like banging your head against the wall. My mother is like that also.

Try to stay away from her as much as possible, but when she is around be polite if possible. When she acts unacceptable to you, mean and nasty or puts you down, just ignore her. Walk right out away from her if possible. If you can't then pretend like she isn't there. She'll start looking like the crazy mean person she is and others will respect you for not acting just as nasty or for going around crying and getting upset all the time.

That does not mean you shouldn't FEEL upset, angry and sad about your mother. You should! But it sounds like with your work situation, doing anything other than just ignoring her and walking away from, don't answer her or acknowledge her presence when she's treating you bad seems like the only way to handle the situation with any dignity and self respect on your part. She's behaving badly, not you.