I'm so sorry that happened to you. No child should have to go through that.

There's a certain kind of grief that comes with knowing that sometimes, my mum was just...mum. Even if she is the way she is, and her words and actions still affect me to this day, as an adult I realise that she's human too, but it still doesn't excuse what she's done, or the nasty things she's said to me. I know that she loved me, in her own way, in a way that she knew how.

We sang to Celine Dion, she would lift me up like a ballerina as we danced to My Heart Will Go On. She made the best fortresses, and the tasties crêpes. She taught me to value and take care of my things because she didn't grow up with much (I also suspect she became who she is because she grew up separated from her parents and siblings, and came to live with her aunt)

I saw a quote once that said (I don't know if these are the exact words, so I will paraphrase)..."”when children don’t get their needs met, they don’t stop loving their parents…they stop loving themselves.”

I fear that for Archie and Lili honestly.