My mother was never physically abusive. Verbally and emotionally abusive was her thing. There are so many stories I could tell, but the one that really sticks out (and showcases her ability to bamboozle outsiders into believing her to be a saint) is my go-to story:

You'd think that with flex-time and telecommuting being so much more acceptable/common now (aren't they? that's the impression I get from media) that more companies could come up with viable options for this situation. A cousin just had her second kid like six months ago, and economics made "quit job two weeks before…

It's currently estimated that only 12% of private employees and 5% of low-income workers have access to maternity leave.

This has been one of the most therapeutic pieces I have read in a long time. My sister and I are estranged from our mother and when people hear of this they usually paint us as spoiled children. "But that's your MOTHER!" they say. No matter that she was and is an abusive psycho who both my sister and I tried our…

This woman reminds me of my father. I've explained to him over and over again why I have a problem with him (he's an angry person who acts like a psycho) but he's decided that it's entirely something else that's just so silly and geeze, why can't I just get over it?! And he's convinced my grandmother (his mom) that…

"A common story among parents who have estranged adult children is how much they had focused on their children, how much they did to make sure their children had all the best advantages, made them the center of the family universe — and often how they treated them more like an equal or an adult than a child.
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"When something, or more specifically,someone, no longer supports the view you have of yourself "

I have some experience dealing with someone (not a parent) who is so willfully disconnected from reality that they just don't understaaaaaand why you're upseetttttt what did they do wronnnnng can't we talk about it? And fine, you summon your backbone and your patience and you explain it clearly and simply. And your…

Oh yeah. I've seen it happen over and over. I mean as an adult I get that there are three sides to every story: Mine, yours and the truth - but the angry self - righteousness of people who physically abused me and literally abandoned me (as opposed to the equally sucky emotional abandonment) makes flames grow out of…

My kids disowned me because I praised them too much? Is that seriously what she's claiming?

Right? Have you met anyone who just cut out their parents for no reason? I haven't, I mean, I'm sure it happens, because people are weird, but both kids? Please. I have watched a lot of people struggle to decide if they should cut people out and hang around abusive or manipulative situations for way too long though.

Especially since they are both estranged from her. I could understand if it was just one (she doesn't approve of his lifestyle/religion/whatever), but both? There's something fishy there and I don't think the stink comes from the kids' side.

"They accuse me of being a terrible person, but won't elaborate about exactly what I've done. Well, sometimes they do, but it doesn't make sense, at least to me."

I think sometimes abusive parents have a tendency to believe the lies they've told themselves about how wonderful their children's childhoods were. Particularly if their children turned out to be decent adults.

Whelp, I was going to hang out in my sexy sexy sex pants (stained in not one, but two places with Nutella) and watch season two of The Fall while my daughter is at a sleepover, but I guess I'd better change. Perhaps I can find some non-lustful dungarees somewhere. I mean, it's just me and the dogs here, but you never…

It did give PSU an advantage on the field. By covering up the scandal, PSU's football program didn't take the reputation hit that would come with the general public finding out that the school employed a serial child rapist. They covered it up because a program rocked by such a scandal would presumably suffer. That's…

Wait, so if a coworker told you another coworker was a child molester, you wouldn't do anything?

There is nothing complex about someone who stood idly by while children were being raped by one of his professional acquaintances. The guy had authority over his superiors. It was evident when he undermined Traponey, and even more so when he essentially refused to let them fire him in the early 2000s. There is nothing…

Here's the thing that all the Paterno corpse fellaters fail to appreciate: Paterno could have ended this whole thing with one phone call. No, not to the cops or the school administration; to the media. You want justice in this country while maintaining your reputation? You call a fucking journalist and tell them…

"Football was more important to them than saving children."