{"id":39219,"date":"2019-06-25T12:18:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T12:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/herway.net\/?p=39219"},"modified":"2022-04-24T15:09:53","modified_gmt":"2022-04-24T15:09:53","slug":"querida-mae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/querida-mae\/","title":{"rendered":"Querida m\u00e3e"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Querida m\u00e3e,<\/p>\r\n<p>As I sit here writing this letter, I am reminded of how long I have harbored all of the thoughts, feelings, and secrets I am about to reveal in this letter. I can feel the weight of the load I&#8217;ve been carrying begin to lessen, with every word I type.<\/p>\r\n<p>For the past twenty years, I have held onto so much guilt, shame, embarrassment, pain and anger. And as many times as I&#8217;ve attempted to write and complete this letter, the truth is, when I could find the words I wanted to write, I was too high\u2026 too fucked up to even make a half-assed crack at it. But NOT today\u2026 NOPE!!<\/p>\r\n<p>I am sober, clear-headed and ready to talk about all of the \u2018what happens behind closed doors, stays behind closed doors\u2019 secrets that you always insisted were tall tales and fabrications of a troubled child seeking attention.<\/p>\r\n<p>Please let me start by saying that I FORGIVE YOU and love you\u2026 and that this letter is not to bash you or make you feel that the trouble I have gotten into or the questionable decisions I have made are in any way being blamed on you.<\/p>\r\n<p>Tamb\u00e9m quero dizer que lamento as coisas m\u00e1s e odiosas que disse e fiz ao longo dos anos e, embora o meu consumo de drogas tenha dado que falar durante muitos anos, isso n\u00e3o \u00e9 de forma alguma uma desculpa para as minhas ac\u00e7\u00f5es.<\/p>\r\n<p>We have had some great times, haven&#8217;t we? Laughed until we cried\u2026 Been there for each other through some pretty rough and trying times\u2026 Held each other through the heartaches and tears\u2026 experienced love, hate, life and death.<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-39231 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-48.jpg\" alt=\"Querida m\u00e3e\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-48.jpg 800w, https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-48-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-48-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>God knows we&#8217;ve had some knock-down-drag-out fights and said things we didn&#8217;t necessarily mean. Our relationship has been one hell of a roller coaster, to say the least.<\/p>\r\n<p>Looking back, I never could understand why, when I needed it the most though, you failed to protect me\u2026<\/p>\r\n<p>Porque \u00e9 que, aos 7 anos de idade, me chamaram mentirosa e me ignoraram como uma crian\u00e7a que s\u00f3 queria chamar a aten\u00e7\u00e3o, quando a minha irm\u00e3 mais velha o avisou do que o seu namorado da altura tinha tentado fazer-lhe, sem sucesso, mas que tinha conseguido fazer-me a mim?<\/p>\r\n<p>Porque \u00e9 que nunca me disseram que o que ele me estava a fazer era doentio, demente e errado?<\/p>\r\n<p>The truth is, at that age, I had no idea that what he was doing wasn&#8217;t supposed to feel good\u2026 or that it would leave a lasting impression on not only the way I viewed men, love and sex\u2026 but also the way I viewed safety, security and, most importantly, the way I viewed myself for a good majority of my life.<\/p>\r\n<p>And why, why, why wasn&#8217;t he the only one who ever had the chance to do something so horrible like that to me?<\/p>\r\n<p>Porque \u00e9 que havia outros que tinham a oportunidade de olhar para mim com pensamentos e inten\u00e7\u00f5es perversas e depois, de um momento para o outro, executar esses mesmos pensamentos e ac\u00e7\u00f5es, sem consequ\u00eancias?<\/p>\r\n<p>Why didn&#8217;t you protect the daughter you swear to love with all your heart? Was it me? Was it something I said? Something I did? Something I didn&#8217;t do?<\/p>\r\n<p>I was almost 13 when you&#8217;re then third husband had his hands all over my ass, getting himself a feel, with the ugliest smile on his face.<\/p>\r\n<p>I can&#8217;t remember if that was before or after I found the underage pornography of young girls who resembled me on our home computer, that we all used.<\/p>\r\n<p>And all the while, not only was your husband interested in your 13-year-old daughter but so was the 18-year-old youth group leader of our church, who your husband adored and who you swore was, &#8220;The nicest and most responsible young man you&#8217;d met in far too long.&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p>Every time he&#8217;d pick me up for youth group or other church outings and activities, he&#8217;d be sure to make some random stop, in some random hidden away place, to get a piece of your young daughter&#8217;s innocence and free spirit.<\/p>\r\n<p>During this time, I fell sick with an eating disorder, allowed my 4.0 GPA in school to fall significantly to a ridiculous 1.5 GPA, stopped involving myself in my extra-curricular interests\u2026<\/p>\r\n<p>For God&#8217;s sake, I cut my hair into \u2018dyke-spikes\u2019, wore all black clothing, piled on the dark make-up\u2026 hoping and praying that I would be too ugly to mess with any longer\u2026 that I would no longer be the object of their disgusting games.<\/p>\r\n<p>I guess they never got the memo, \u2018cause it continued. How many times was all of this brought to your attention? How many times did I beg you to let me stay home?<\/p>\r\n<p>How many times did you ground me because I \u2018acted-out\u2019? How many times did you backhand me and make <a href=\"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/significado-espiritual-do-zumbido-no-ouvido-direito\/\">os meus ouvidos zumbem<\/a> because I cried and yelled and threw fits about you staying with your husband? Why didn&#8217;t you protect your daughter?<\/p>\r\n<p>I was a couple of weeks from celebrating my 15th birthday when I returned to your home from a brief stay in foster care. By that time, I believed that you had no right to try and tell me what to do or how to live my life. And you didn&#8217;t put up much of a fight with my rebellious, &#8220;You can&#8217;t tell me shit,&#8221; attitude, so I rolled with it and took it to a whole new extreme.<\/p>\r\n<p>Stayed out as late as I wanted, with whoever was the \u2018flavor of the week\u2019 or the most wild and crazy, cussed like a sailor, drank as much alcohol as I could get my hands on, tried marijuana and even dabbled in opioids for the first time.<\/p>\r\n<p>Whenever you&#8217;d protest, I&#8217;d storm out of the house with my middle finger in the air and a big, &#8220;FUCK YOU!!&#8221; screamed as loud as I could.<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-39236 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-49.jpg\" alt=\"Querida m\u00e3e\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-49.jpg 800w, https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-49-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-49-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>I even met my boys&#8217; dad around that same time and almost immediately moved him in, even though he was a 22-year-old alcoholic, with an on-again, offagain job and no ambition or desire to do anything more than spend every waking hour tangled up in the sheets with your 15-year-old.<\/p>\r\n<p>You were busy with your online dating profile\u2026 telling all the pervs about how beautiful, smart and talented your young daughter was. Was that the reason you got so many responses? Why couldn&#8217;t you protect your daughter from the ill intentions of your suitors?<\/p>\r\n<p>I sat in the bathroom of our \u2018home\u2019 four months after the most outrageously partied-out sweet 16, with not just one but six POSITIVE pregnancy tests sprawled out on the countertop.<\/p>\r\n<p>I came down the stairs, tears streaming down my cheeks and before I could get one word out, you said, &#8220;You&#8217;re knocked up, aren&#8217;t you?&#8221; not once even looking at me or changing your expression.<\/p>\r\n<p>No espa\u00e7o de uma semana, sa\u00ed de casa e tornei-me rapidamente num adulto.<br><br>Passados quase quatro anos, casaste-te de novo, eu era m\u00e3e de um menino lindo, mas precisava de voltar para casa devido a uma senten\u00e7a de pris\u00e3o imprevista aplicada ao pai do beb\u00e9.<\/p>\r\n<p>Volt\u00e1mos a ter uma rotina de m\u00e3e e filha. Na verdade, o teu novo marido at\u00e9 se enquadrava no mesmo papel de velhote malvado, embebedando-me tanto que eu vomitava no caixote do lixo ao lado da cama enquanto ele me enfiava as m\u00e3os nos cal\u00e7\u00f5es.<\/p>\r\n<p>UUUGGGHHH!!! Passados mais tr\u00eas anos, eu estava de novo em casa a viver com a mam\u00e3 querida e tu continuavas com o mesmo falhado.<\/p>\r\n<p>Lembras-te de quando ele me telefonou e disse todas aquelas coisas desagrad\u00e1veis e horr\u00edveis sobre como eras gorda e nojenta e como a \u00fanica raz\u00e3o pela qual ele lidava contigo era porque queria aproximar-se de mim?<\/p>\r\n<p>If I remember correctly, he swooned over me and told me how beautiful I was and how much he was falling for me\u2026 all the while on speakerphone so you could hear every wretched word that came out of his mouth. Less than a week later, I was in jail, facing three felonies, which were not only pressed by you but were complete lies. Protection against myself, you had said. Huh??<\/p>\r\n<p>Os oito anos que se seguiram s\u00e3o nebulosos e enevoados, sobretudo porque eu estava demasiado pedrado para prestar aten\u00e7\u00e3o ou para me preocupar.<\/p>\r\n<p>In the midst of it all, I lost myself\u2026 totally and completely. I would stand in front of the mirror and be so mortified at the person staring back at me, I&#8217;d cry and scream at the damn thing. I spiraled out of control, almost died a time or two and could&#8217;ve cared less.<\/p>\r\n<p>Perdi tudo o que tinha mais do que uma vez, perdi as duas \u00fanicas coisas que significavam alguma coisa para mim neste mundo e perdi-me cada vez mais todos os dias.<\/p>\r\n<p>Passei meses na pris\u00e3o, para depois sair e voltar ao que era antes, apesar dos meus melhores esfor\u00e7os. At\u00e9 que um dia acordei e percebi que, para poder seguir em frente, tinha de deixar de viver no meu passado atormentado.<\/p>\r\n<p>So I sat down and finally wrote this letter, that you may never even read. Because I have to forgive you and move on from the pain and anger. After all, you have continued to live your life, happily as far as I know, and now it&#8217;s my turn.<\/p>\r\n<p>I love you Mom but I will now love you from a distance that will protect and heal us both. I will always be my mother&#8217;s daughter but I will no longer allow the ghosts of my past to dictate how I live my present and future.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sempre e para sempre,<br>A filha que se protege<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>por Candace Barish<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-39238 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutt-7-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Querida m\u00e3e\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutt-7-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutt-7-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutt-7.jpg 735w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":39239,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29624],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-friends-and-family"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":29624,"label":"friends&amp;family"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/herway.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/shutterstock_1339397624-50.jpg",800,534,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Amy Nicholson","author_link":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/author\/amy\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":29624,"name":"friends&amp;family","slug":"friends-and-family","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":29624,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Do you want to improve your relationship with friends and family? Following these tips will help you boost your connection with your favorite people.","parent":29620,"count":317,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":29624,"category_count":317,"category_description":"Do you want to improve your relationship with friends and family? Following these tips will help you boost your connection with your favorite people.","cat_name":"friends&amp;family","category_nicename":"friends-and-family","category_parent":29620}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herway.net\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}