This is just the tone of voice that she used but the stuff about work and uni, well, she is a workaholic and a super achiever and so have I been for all of my life. My father is the same! And I am just not choosing to be that right now. Granted I am bored out of my brain and I get really frustrated sometimes but my brain needs to slow down for the first time in my life! I need to stop pretending that while my mind falls apart occasionally, really, I am okay!(not)

My parents gauge how well I am doing by whether the house is clean or not, whether the lawn is mowed, the dog is bathed, I have bathed, the bills have been paid, my partner and I are having enough sex and my sons use of too much slang. I am **** - my parents are ****.

I am strict with some things that will never change - but there are some things I have let go of. Sometimes these conflict with my mothers value system. Both my parents are machines - they never get sick. My mother is 63 and goes to the gym 6 days a week and works full time. My dad is 65 and is the lead singer in a blues band.

They have said to me in the past with a baffled, slightly disgusted look on their face that they could not understand that with their "supurb" genetics, they could have had a really sick child. Since I have learnt about genetics at uni, I can completely understand without going into the science of it.

Anyway, sorry to bang on, but God, I get frustrated! I do love my parents as they have exceptional qualities and my dad is getting much better. He takes me to all my doctors appoint., helps me look after my son(but he has always done that), loves my partner with brotherly affection and has told my stepmother who told me, that he is PROUD of me! Soon he will feel comfortable saying it to me.

And so it goes on.............