I’ve always believed that the relationship between a mother and a daughter is one of the most complicated that exists. It is filled with so much joy and heaviness and struggle and celebration. You create a person who is often the very mirror image of yourself – warts and all.
And that complication, that struggle, and that impossible to ignore reflection, plus hormones, the process of aging, family politics and finances can lead to some pretty crazy conflicts. We’ve probably all done the slammed door “I hate you!” declaration in our lifetime, and possibly (probably) much more than that.
Between the end of grade 8 and when I finally graduated, two years later than I should have, I put my mom through the wringer. Suspensions, expulsions, school changes, dropping out of school entirely, moving away, police involvement – there was no shortage of tears, frustration and pain on both our parts. There were moments where I think we both held our breaths and bit our tongues and moments where it all came spilling over, impossible to stop. There were things we need to apologize for. And that’s often the hardest part.
PROMPT: Have you had hard times with your mother? How did you address them? Is there anything you need to apologize for?
(Want to make sure you see the whole series of Mother’s Day prompts? Use this link to view them all!)
Stephanie Ostermann
I’m a communicator. That’s a PC way of saying I like to talk, but I also spend a lot of my time listening, and over the years, I’ve developed a sense for subtext – how one or two words can change your entire message, what people are really trying to say and how to weave the varied layers of your story into one cohesive brand message that your clients fall in love with.
When I'm not acting as editor in chief for Vivid & Brave, you can find me geeking out over words here.
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