I went to the same college as Anne McClain, and remember her as someone who kept to herself, but was a model cadet. I am thrilled to read about her accomplishments! Way to go, Anne!

Christmas present update! My husband just got his “gift” from his estranged sister. It’s a sweater that’s two sizes too small for him (it might be a woman’s) and it’s from the early 80s. It’s actually kind of fabulous, it’s white with geometric shapes in primary colors. Very New Wave.

Thank you for saying that: 1. gifts should refleft what the other person wants, and not what we think they should want and: 2. not criticizing the decisions others make to go no-contact with their parents/family members.

I have had to erect VERY strong boundaries with her, and I have to be vigilant about enforcing them. She lives half a country away, so that is helpful, but I literally have to ban her from having my phone number. I try to limit our contact to the bare minimum of a quick check-in via text every month or two.

I am always so confused why new partners get jealous of *things.* Like that bowl is not a threat. Jeez.

These gifts were actually AWESOME, but what happened afterward sucked. The posts are riddled with similar stories:

I was depressed enough that I stole a gun from my dad and was planning on killing myself. I got lucky when he found it missing, I was found in my car in a forest preserve. I’d been there for five hours, I had had that thing in mouth, up to my temple, and against my chest. I ended up in handcuffs and then in an…

Am I a terrible person for laughing so hard at this, my dog just glared at me, got up from her bed and huffily left the room?

She was a nasty and abusive person! I used to never share stories like this because I was taught that to do so was a betrayal to my fam (“her intentions were good!”). The reality is that the best gift is what the other person wants, not what you think they should want. I realize now that shit like this really groomed…

I think that’s the hardest part of living with a narcissistic and/or borderline personality parent... when the NPD or BPD parent does something awful, I might be able to handle it easier by rationalizing, “well, he/she didn’t mean to hurt me; it’s just their personality disorder at work.” But when the other parent is e…

My bff also gave me one of those one time. I stealthily slid it under their couch in the basement during a sleepover. Apparently they found it YEARS later during a spring cleaning session. 

My mother and I didn’t have the best relationship but she adored my husband (I think she thought, “Well at least the idiot is in good hands.”) His mother loved me and told me after my mother died, “Well, I’m your mother now.”

My dad handed me a christmas card that he hadn’t even bothered to seal, it had two twenties inside along with a cursory signature and no message. I looked at the bills confused, I had hoped my distant and emotionally aloof father would have given me something personal, a celebration of the one day a year he’d bother…

I wish I could wrap a blanket of stars and lovely memories around you & erase the heaps of indignities.

You should check out the website Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers. It's a messy site that looks like it was made by a psychopath but if you read thru it, you'll find freakin' Pearls of Wisdom that will at least let you know you're not alone! 

Good job on the no contact thing. I have met so many people with mothers with these types of personalities. But their children never manage to just cut contact off with their toxic families.

I’m sorry, Pumpkin. That’s really shitty.

My parents had gone on a beach vacation in the summer a few years ago, and they bought back nice gifts for my siblings and their families, like hoodies, candles, ornaments, and gave them out at Christmas. And for me, oh boy, they had “saved” for me their USED little bottles of hotel shampoo and conditioner (there was…

I had been a poor student for years, sleeping on an air mattress in a sleeping bag, when my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her I wanted a duvet to replace my sleeping bag and a real suitcase to replace a weathered duffel bag. She implied she had some extra money that year and asked if I had a…

I will never understand why people live in that shithole city.