yes its very difficult now to sit and watch my mother...before it was easy to just hate her...but having started my own journey of self discovery...I see her life too...I see the looses she has suffered.....but I have to remember that I have to take care off me now...my taking care off her wore me out and left me soul-less ....I treat her with respect as I would any other person...but I have had to insert boundaries between myself and my step mother......i feel for her but I can no longer "feel" for her if that makes sense...