People insist abuse is an act that is fully the responsibility of the abuser, and it’s not a fault of their history.

However I think my mother’s abusiveness was an outcome of her own maltreatment by partners and family. My family insists she was never abused but I have watched them act in ways that seem cruel, deceitful and very narcissistic.

When my mother died and my family responded by isolating me, it made realize the dysfunction was not a characteristic of my mother only. There are several family who played a role in my mother’s and my isolation; and that her malignant tendencies are an extension of an extremely toxic family system.

My mother’s death brought a newfound compassion for my mother; when I briefly saw the toxic family system that she probably endured her whole life, it made me realize her behaviour was not done in a vacuum.

My aunt showed a callousness and tried to cruelly provoke me to gain an upper hand; and for what reason I do not know.

It’s like they’re afraid of reality so they thought attacking my character, and dragging me down any way they could was necessary. They tried to put me at my mother’s level to silence me; they attacked and smeared me at any opportunity.