Hi Dr. Laura:
Late last year, I called you. I was a new listener, and I wish I had heard you when I was a child and teenager with no direction or guidance. What I thought was a call about whether to go on a Thanksgiving trip my mother had planned and my husband didn't want to go on, turned out to be a life lesson that has done more for me than anything else ever has.
You called me weak. You reminded me I took vows to my husband and NOT my mother, who had been slowly taking over my life, my parenting, and every vacation we planned. When I finished the call with you, I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. You took all the superficial nonsense air right out of me.
You changed my life. I am now the matriarch of our family. My mother no longer makes our vacation plans. I am a girlfriend to my husband, and I am so much more present with my kids. Thank you for staying strong and true, even when it hasn't been easy to do so. I thought I was responsible for how I created my life, but I was weak when it came to my mother. I felt shackled to please her or she would fall apart, because she did any time I challenged her. I didn't know I could tell my mother "no" and still be a good person!
It sounds silly writing it now, but this last few months I have transformed into a strong happy woman. My husband is much happier too, and we're both grateful for your voice and your wisdom. Thank you.
Rachel
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