My mom has a tendency to this as well, which is kind of ironic because she has bipolar disorder, but whatever.

Sometimes, in her own ham-handed, misguided, hurtful way, I know that most of the time she is trying to help. Other times, I am convinced her intent is to hurt - to lash out.

In any case, I decided that if I was going to stay in this relationship, then I would have to set some clear boundaries about how she would treat me.

I also vowed to myself to be honest with myself, and realize that the truth can come from the strangest places. If something she said rang true to me, then perhaps she was right. NOT as in "I am piece of crap" kind of true, but "perhaps I do spend too much time on facebook" kind of true.

Other things I tried to develop a sense of humor about, and above all else, give a lot of consideration to the source.

However, the things I would not tolerate, I was very very clear about. Now the thing is, when you set a boundary, you must be able to follow through and let go of the outcome.

That's not as easy as it sounds - especially when it is your mother.

I know I had to do it and eventually things did get better.

My mother and I will never ever have a great relationship, but we do have one.