That doesn’t help when you’re drunk and a bar and can’t drive home

BUY. A. CAR.

AND. PARK. IN. NON-EXISTENT. AUSTIN. PARKING. SPOTS. ALSO. DRINK. AND. DRIVE.

Narcissists ‘need’ to see their children in a certain way in order to confirm their rightness and superiority to themselves. And it wreaks havoc on a child’s life: s/he is not seen and loved as a whole person but as the shadow the parent cannot acknowledge in him/herself and so madly projects upon the child.

Leave. No matter what they try to pull, leave. I especially despise people who use their religion as a weapon of guilt against their kids. They take something that should bring comfort and peace and just warp it.

Eggshells. My mother would regularly have screaming fits (sometimes days long) followed by hysterical sobbing over whatever-the-fuck happened to trigger her that particular day. Then she would freak out and have pity parties about how “everyone walks on eggshells around me/why do you all treat me so badly.”

I am going through this right now. I’ve had four days off work. I sorted shit that needed sorting. I told those what they neede to know. Yet everyone is incredulous that I want to go back to work Monday. Like open mouthed wide eyed “Noooooo. Take as much time as you need”. Hell, I've took more time than I needed…

My brother was the Golden Child and I was the Scapegoat. Stepmother totally fucked me up for the rest of my life. I hate that she’s had such a profound effect even though she hasn’t been in my life since she kicked me out onto the street at 15.

I like the double think of “I was sad, but also I don’t remember... Either way you can’t hold it against me.” Totally not how that works.

I always like to respond, “And?! I’m pretty sure that makes what I’ve described worse.”

I get this all the time. “But he’s your father!” Fuck that

So true. I usually have to tell myself I didn’t have a mom growing up, I had a bully. The very first bully I’ve ever had among many I had in school growing up.

Good for you. Mine stopped when child services was called in at 14 when I came to school with a swollen nose and two black eyes (he’d hit me on the bridge of my nose). Funny thing about that, though. He blamed me for it and called me all sorts of nasty names. And that stopped when I moved out the following year ‘cause…

That’s exactly it. My dad doing the “amends” bit held me hostage in a public place.

The mother smiled at her son’s antics and yelled at her daughter. There was no safe movement for the little girl.

It’s heartbreaking to witness a parent treat his/her children so distinctly. Such a feeling of powerlessness.

I worked with a woman and she brought her two kids to the company picnic, The boy was into everything more so than any kid his age I’ve ever seem. Her daughter literally just stood there. The mother smiled at her son’s antics and yelled at her daughter. There was no safe movement for the little girl.

I think honest pieces like this are so necessary, especially around things like Mother’s Day or the death of someone’s mom. When I moved away for college, I never looked back. Well, that’s a lie because I do find myself looking back at how horrible my mom was - especially to me. Now that I’m a parent and do the things…

But if there’s anything she’s taught me, it’s that you don’t bring children into the world because you want them to thank you later.

MARK! *HUGS*