The deMented Mom

Despite what some of the more cynical blog reviewers would have you believe...I don't really think that 'bad parenting' is something that we, as a blogging group are proudly proclaiming as being a badge of honor amongst us. For some reason, when a MB chooses to share some of her more, let's say, humble moments of parenting with her fellow bloggers, she's allowing all of us to breathe that collective sigh of relief knowing that "I'm not the only one who has said/done that". Called a 'bitch' and 'ugly' by my own mom, nice eh??? Thanks :-)) OUCH! When I saw this Facebook status update posted by my own 13 year old daughter I was immediately transported back to my own adolescence and reminded of similar scenes that played out between my mother and I. I won't regale you with the details but needless to say, my mother and I did not enjoy a warm, close mother/daughter relationship while I was growing up and remain somewhat estranged

It's funny. My mother and I have not had what you would consider the healthiest of relationships over the years. In fact, she has only met my youngest two children a couple of times and has only been to my home once in the ten years we have been here. It's a long story and one that may come out in dribs and drabs in this blogger expedition but I had to comment on this most ironic of situations. Despite this awkward, distant relationship, my mother forwards 'those' emails--the humorous, the touching, the chain letters. You get the idea. Well, the last two emails she sent me stuck with me in a way that surprised me. I have provided an edited version of one of those emails below. I'm not sure who is responsible for these words of wisdom and I truly hope they won't be offended by the liberties I have taken to change a few words here and there to more accurately represent moi. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I'