Okay, I know nobody can make us feel anything, I have to own my feelings. But God, my family are great at making me feel small and useless.
They criticise me constantly. My appearance, my conversation, my posture, my hair, my weight, my medical problems.
I do have a couple of pretty serious health conditions. I'm very aware of not mentioning them often as it really pisses my parents off. They do impact on my life though, in a pretty major way. I try really hard to be bright and breezy, even when I'm in agony and just want to lie down.
I have gained weight due to the medication I'm on, and have been unable to exercise due to a serious back injury. That is healing, so at my Mother's questioning, I explained what I plan to do - physio, pilates, frequent short walks. She then started lecturing me about how I need to do something about it. I had to point that I am doing something about it, that was literally what I'd just described to her. That wasn't good enough.
They ignore me all the time. Like will cut me off mid sentence to start talking about something completely different.
Tonight, we brought my parents out for a lovely dinner as an anniversary celebration for them, belated yes, as they were away for their actual anniversary. I tried so hard to keep the conversation going. My Dad sat in silence, my Mum sighed constantly, and the minute dinner was over they stood up to leave. We're staying in their house, as soon as we got back they both went to bed, husband went soon after (yes, I'm annoyed with him too), and I'm left up feeling really sad on my own.
Quite the contrast to when my sister and her husband brought them out a few weeks ago, when they said they had dinner, lots of cocktails, sat up until 3am drinking and chatting and laughing.
I am not the daughter they wanted, I know they see me as deficient due to my health problems. But I try so hard. I listen to their worries, I'm always supportive, I go with them to visit elderly relatives. I'm just never good enough.
That was long, and I don't even know what my question is. I guess, what will it take for me to ever be good enough for them?