How about your mom?
Er... We don’t have what you’d call a great relationship.
Well, you know... mother-daughter relationships are always complicated.
Actually, “complicated” doesn’t begin to describe it... I stopped seeing her years ago. Healthy communication with my mother is not an option. She hurt me tremendously and never acknowledged any wrongdoing. I’m not asking her to lie on a bed of nails and repent. One word would suffice.
Maybe your mom’s actions were motivated by love, but she couldn’t express it.
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| Maybe your mom’s actions were motivated by love |
How do you avoid tumbling into the trap?
The trap of believing that people are trying to minimize what you endured
The trap of wanting to convince others that what you went through with your mother wasn’t just a matter of not getting along
The trap of thinking that they would like to close the lid on your shameful, hidden, unspoken suffering
“Once you’ve read my story, you might have a different perspective.”
That’s a better response.
Then, let go and allow people to see things however they choose.
That’s what I’ll do from now on.
photo © Kenny Eliason