Not My Mom: A Story Of Forgiving But Never Forgetting | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Parents

You Are Not My Mom: A Story Of Forgiving, But Never Forgetting

Sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go

1423
You Are Not My Mom: A Story Of Forgiving, But Never Forgetting
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpDKpbkl14r/?tagged=darkness

The difference between a mother and a mom is quite exponential. Yes, a mom can also be a mother, but sometimes mothers are not moms. A mother is the one who gave birth to you, her duty is nothing more than to give you life. A mom? Well, to me that title must be earned. A mom is someone who teaches you, protects you, understands you, annoys you, and ultimately loves you. A mom is someone who fights for you when you can't fight for yourself. A mom is someone who corrects you and pushes you to be the best version of yourself that you can be. A mom is someone who loves you when you don't even love you. A mom is someone to inspire you and encourage you when you don't quite hit the mark. She believes in you when others don't. A mom is someone you can count on when everyone else lets you down. I have a mother and a mom. Those people have two different names and two different roles. One was a lesson, while the other was a blessing. One was meant to carve a hole, while the other was meant to stitch that same hole. Although I would love to talk on and on about how great my mom is, this letter, however, is not to the one I appreciate, but rather the one I so often resent.


To my mother,

I forgive you.

Yes. I forgive you. That does not mean that I need you, I want you, or I intend to seek out your acceptance after 16 years. I simply mean that I forgive you. I forgive you for carving a small hole in my heart that was meant for you to fill. I forgive you for making me question my worth all these years. I forgive you for missing my kindergarten graduation and all those Halloweens where I dressed up like an idiot. I forgive you for searching for your identity at the tip of a syringe or through the glass of an empty bottle. I forgive you for coming back. I forgive you for calling me, sweetheart. I forgive you for making me care only to inevitably hurt me again. First time, that falls on you. Second time, jokes on me, right? I forgive you for giving me an ounce of hope that our "family" could be restored. I forgive you for creating the illusion that I needed you in my life. I forgive you for making me believe that what I had wasn't enough. That the family that wanted me wasn't enough. I forgive you for making me believe that I wasn't worthy of the love they were so freely giving me. Most of all, I forgive you for leaving me to feel so helplessly alone.

I need to make this clear. I am not granting you forgiveness so that you will sleep better at night. This is my first step in moving on. I've held on for so long refusing to give up because everyone deserves someone who never gives up on them. I held on hoping you would change. I held on hoping that you'd find some kind of redemption. I held on for just the sliver of a chance that you might look me in the eye and apologize. All I wanted was an apology. You left me to wonder why. Why the person who was supposed to love me more than anything, didn't. When you love someone you become uniquely vulnerable because they have the power to hurt you like nothing else. You made me believe that if my own mother didn't even want me then how could anyone else? You made me believe that I was unlovable. There is a problem with that though because you only accept the love you think you deserve and I did not believe I deserved any. I pushed everyone who could potentially love me away. If someone got too close, I removed myself. I entered situations knowing the outcome would be bad. I refused to allow myself to care too much because if you don't care then you can't get hurt. I do all of this because I am still holding on. I'm holding on for acceptance. I'm holding on for love. I'm holding on for freedom. I am holding on for you. You never held on, so all of a sudden I started holding on for the both of us. Along the way, I lost myself. I lost sight of things that mattered. I lost sight of all my passions and desires becoming all consumed by my innate desire to fight for you, to fight to be accepted by you, to fight to love you and be loved by you, and to fight to save you. But, I can't save you, Mother. I am not a savior. I allowed myself to believe that I was. I allowed myself to believe that I could change you. I allowed myself to believe that I could save you, but I can't. Nor is that my job. I allowed myself to hold onto you, not realizing that by harboring unforgiveness it's as if I was drinking poison expecting you to be the one that got hurt. You are not my mom, and I no longer expect you to one day be. So, I'm letting go.

I forgive you.

But, I cannot and will not ever forget.

Best Wishes,

Jazzy

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

5 Things To Do That Are Better Than Writing A Paper

Don't waste your time trying to write that paper when there are so many more interesting things you could be doing.

3516
computer keyboard
Unsplash

Writing a paper is never fun and is rarely rewarding. The writer's block, the page requirement, be specific, but don’t summarize, make sure you fixed any grammatical errors, did you even use spellcheck? and analyze, analyze, analyze.

Papers can be a major pain. They take up so much time and effort that by the end of the process you hate yourself and you hate the professor for making life so difficult. Questions of your existence start roaming in your mind. Am I even cut out for college if I can’t write a single paper? Am I even capable of taking care of myself if I lack the energy to open my laptop and start typing?

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons Why Sisters Are The Best

Who could be a better friend than your own sister?

2180
sisters
Taylor Hooper

I can barely remember back when I was the only child. Most would say it’s because it is extremely difficult to remember things as a toddler but I would say it's because I was bored until my sister came along. My mother always says how important the "sister bond" is and with every year that passes I realize how right she is. Instead of writing a novel about all of the wonderful things there are about having a sister I decided to list a few of them instead.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Adult

You're gonna make it after all.

3544
how to adult
Twitter

It is the time of our lives that we are beginning to enter the adult world and most of us, if not all of us, have no idea what we are doing. It's like starting a video game, but skipping the tutorial. We're all just running around aimlessly hoping we accidentally do something right that moves us along the right path. Now that graduation has just happened, or is right around the corner for some of us, it's time to start thinking about how we are going to take care of ourselves once we are on our own.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

7 Signs You're A Starbucks Addict

I'll be the first one to admit I'm addicted to Starbucks.

1953
drinking coffee
Tumblr

If you’re anything like me, you love a good cup of coffee. My coffee always comes from Starbucks; I refuse to drink it from anywhere else. Over the years, it’s become one of my biggest addictions. So, if you are aware that you’re a Starbucks addict as well, or maybe you need to check to see if you’re an addict, here are seven ways to tell.

Keep Reading...Show less
people  in library
Photo by redcharlie on Unsplash

College involves a whirlwind of emotions, whether it’s from the stress of an assignment (or twenty), or from fighting with your roommate. It can be overwhelming at times and it’s important to take a step a back and calmly think things over. Maybe gain some perspective. The following aren’t foolproof tips and may not apply to you, but I was able to find success with them (hope you do too!)

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments