alcoholism
There’s a big difference between helping your child and enabling their behaviors. When I discovered my son had an alcohol addiction, I was a single parent of two teenaged children.
The first time I saw my son Brian drunk, he was 14 years old.
We had just moved from Missouri to New York State after my second divorce. I felt ill-equipped to deal with the painful reality that my son was repeating the cycle of his father, whom I had left due to his alcohol addiction.
When I ask myself how I became an enabler to his addiction, I reflect on my background. I grew up the oldest child in a family of four children. As the eldest, I was called on to be the caretaker of my younger siblings. The caretaking role felt comfortable and validating. When I left home at 18, I chose to pursue a career in nursing, further reinforcing my role as a caretaker.
Read...Eventually, I had to admit that the past I wanted to have — the mother I wished for so desperately — didn’t exist. I am re-parenting myself as I parent.
Read...While it is true that binge-drinking among moms is reaching epidemic levels, it is not the act of mom-ing that got us there.
Read...I draw the line at “mommy juice.” Some of you reading will tell me I’m too sensitive or we’ve just “gone too far”. And you’re right; I’m sensitive.
Read...When I decided to get sober, I simply wanted help to stop drowning myself; I certainly didn’t envision digging up my painful relationship history.
Read...As long as I give my daughter the space to talk, I feel like my alcoholic ex can strengthened my relationship with her. I hope she knows that I'm here.
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