There is a type of adult-child and parent relationship that rarely ever works out. It’s the one where the child feels like they’ll never be enough and the parent feels like they’re owed something for their labor. In this relationship, the child is “spoiled” and “ungrateful.“ The parent sacrificed and now they want the gratitude and love they were promised.
“I did everything for you.”
“I paid for your school.”
“I had to work two jobs to keep a roof over your head.”
“You have no idea how hard it was. You’re so ungrateful.”
The relationship hinges on this: I gave you X and now you owe me Y.
But here’s the catch, in this type of relationship, the parent always gets to decide what Y is, there is an endless list of X’s, and most of the things the child is attempting to repay are required of the parent by law. The debt will truly never be repaid.
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