Who would have thought it! My #1 critic lives in the house with me. It’s not my husband. It’s not my children. It’s my mom.
Mom has ALWAYS been critical of me. Early childhood memories includes her trying to scrub the ugly “dirt” off my knee using soap, alcohol, and yes, a brillo pad. How did they miss the fact that the “dirt” is a birthmark?
How about the teenage years when she and dad would comb my hair over my forehead and demand that I continue this practice because my forehead was too big, I always wore bangs even in my adult years because I was believed my parents when they said my forehead had to be hid. That shame stayed with me until my thirties.
From my adolescent to teen years, mom would repeatedly tell me that my sister was her right hand. She was the one mom could depend on. Since living with me she admitted to my husband and me about making those almost daily comments. Yep, you guessed it, I struggled with low self esteem. SHOCKING isn’t it! LOL! My parents has always been critical of me.
So mom has been with me for 7 weeks now. Mom is still the same. CRITICAL. She’s eating better than she’s eaten in the past 20 years, yet, she has something negative to say about the food I prepare. She doesn’t complain about my husband or my daughter’s cooking.
This day, she said my pasta was too hard. I asked her why does she complain about everything I make, and she responded, “I thought I should tell the truth.” I then told her it would be nice to hear “thank you.”
Here’s a sad truth. Many people in my church and other places I serve are always celebrating and encouraging me. They see my heart for service. My mom……she loves to point out what’s wrong with me. Taking the words from Will Smith, Sometimes in life parents just don’t understand.
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