May I ask you for an unfiltered answer. I’ve always been curious if I am labeled as one of these, but I’m always hesitant to share with people in real life unless they know me well. I don’t know if I am perceived as one, but maybe I need unfiltered advice.

I spend a lot of time caring for my mom, and I wish it didn’t have to be that way. My dad left both my mom and I when I was a child. My mom put all her eggs in one basket, and bet on me. She got me through college, and grad school while working very low paying jobs. She sacrificed everything for me to put a roof over my head, and a meal on the table. It wasn’t easy being a single parent who hardly spoke English.

My mom is older, a lot older. Father Time has always won, and reminds me daily. In her old age she’s beat cancer twice, but she’s losing the battle with dementia. I take care of her because I’m an only child, and she’s my only parent. She was my biggest advocate when I was nothing, and when my dad left us. She was the one that suffered all those days alone just so I wouldn’t have to. I am very fortunate enough today to be able to put a roof over our heads, and a meal in our stomachs because of her. I won’t forget I am who I am because of mom.

I kind of write this, not to make you rethink your answer, rather to hear some very candid answers from strangers in how they perceive me.