My mother, before the dementia, was one of those that had a hard time dealing with me setting boundaries. She was used to walking over people and rarely getting pushback. When I started to do it, she didn't react well.

I remember when I was in my 20s, realizing that she would keep track of what I said and did to find a way to throw it back in my face at a future date. So, I decided to not give her ammunition. I kept conversations limited and superficial. She hated that. She would give me crap about being too quiet or not sharing my life with her.

I didn't really explain to her why I had changed my behavior. She never had self awareness, so she would have just denied her behavior. It would have devolved into one of those useless conversations, going around in circles, similar to any talk I tried to have about our relationship. Been there, done that.


It sounds like you know what you have to do, Tisha. It's a good sign that you're comfortable with your decisions.