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An Open Letter to My Parents About How Being Brought Up in A Strict Household Almost Killed Me
Dear Mom and Dad,
You’re both long gone. Daddy, you were my hero in many ways. I know you did your best. I know your actions were fueled by a desire to see me be more than you ever hoped to be. I know you saw my gifts and that you wanted me to make the most of them. I know you wanted me to be what you never felt you were, Somebody.
And Mom, well, I’ll be honest, I don’t know what you were doing. I always felt like you hated me and resented my very presence. If I’m honest, despite all the good advice, it felt and continues to feel like your intentions all along were to undermine me, to let me know I would never be enough.
Look at that baby. The one pictured above. Seriously look at her. She’s beautiful, isn’t she? So full of life, so full of promise, sitting there with her little dolls. She was me. She was happy. Well, for a little while she was. Until you wrecked her.
Funny thing was, I didn’t just show up out of nowhere. You chose me. You adopted me. And I’ve tried to unravel that damage for 50 years. I love you both and I forgive you. Hell, I even thank you. You made me a much stronger person … eventually. But now that you’re gone, I finally have the courage to tell you what you really did to me.
