Acknowledge your love and efforts. You’ve been a good mother, that’s enough. Say “thank you.” Congratulate yourself. You deserve it.
3. Separate your feelings from their actions
We tend to take other people’s actions personally. If the child doesn’t call, then I’m a bad mother. If he’s rude, then I’ve messed up.
But that’s not the case. Their behavior is their world, their trauma, their fatigue. It may have nothing to do with you.
Don’t let that coldness enter your heart. Where they are, there are their choices. Where you are, there is your warmth. Keep it.
4. Stop being a victim
When we are hurt by those close to us, the temptation is to hide in the victim role:
“I did everything for them, and they…”
But sacrifice is a weakness. It is a refusal to influence one’s life.
Take off that coat. You are not a victim. You are a woman with a story, strength, and the right to respect.
Start small: stop holding grudges. Don’t let pain dictate your identity. You are not heartbroken. You are a person capable of choosing self-respect.
5. Create new relationships
Many parents continue to expect the same closeness from their adult children as before. They forget that the children are now adults. They have changed.
Maybe it’s time to change our relationships too.
