[Deilla]

My mother has traumatized me almost all my life. As a child, she emotionally abused me. She made me the parent and then later the confidant by age 7. It was all I knew growing up. It made me very sad as a little girl.

Later I left my home, got married and had my own kids. I never did that to them. I respected them and loved them.

My kids are grown now. And I'm alone. I have no friends except for a few people on line. I moved back to my home town. So there is my mother now. She's the only person I talk to on the phone. Most of the time it's terrible. I get upset, don't call for a while and then try calling again.

This time I don't think I'll ever call back. I usually listen to how she's taking on more and more responsibility every day. Like raising her great grand baby and supporting the father. Raising her granddaughter and taking her to activities. She's a 70 year old soccer mom. She also supports another grandchild who lives abroad. As far as the twenty something adults go (her grandsons), I think she's enabling them. They don't work or can't keep a job.

Well today while we were talking on the phone, she tried to pressure me into selling my art work and giving her the money to help support all these people. Now mind you. Her husband has almost a million sitting in the bank. And she wants money from me. Not only that, I've been painting digitally for 3 months. I'm learning and having fun and putting my heart and soul into my art and being expressive. I told her I don't want to sell my work. She's never even seen any of it. She doesn't ask. I'm on disability and don't want to deal with trying to sell things and end up losing my disability. Yet she wouldn't take no for an answer. She was harassing me about it. "You can put it on Amazon and donate the money to me."

I felt violated. I was trying to share my love of painting with her. I really have to let her go. She can't be a part of my life anymore. I felt like, Bam!
She really doesn't love you.

[Skeezyks]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm sorry you have been put into the position of having to make such a difficult decision. (By the way... I'm about your mother's age.) Sometimes one just has to do what one has to do. Good luck with your artwork! Perhaps you'll share some of it here on PC at some point.

You are not responsible for your mother's choices. You are doing the right thing. Sometimes family can just suck the life out of you. Keep doing your art and focusing on your happiness.

[Deilla]

I ended up talking to my sister A about all this. A is the mother/grandmother to all these children my mother is taking responsibility for. A said she is contributing. So I thought that was good. Also A called my mom to see if she really needed money. My mom said I misunderstood her. She was trying to help me. But that's not how it sounded to me. And I don't want the kind of help she is offering. I don't really know what happened now. It doesn't matter. I'm tired of being drawn into this drama. Thanks for all the kind support. I appreciate it.

[juliaatwo]

The only right thing you can do for yourself if to forgive her, past is in the past, you can only change your thought about it and then you'll change