“Do you know what I don’t like about her?” she asked me.

“I would love to know that” I responded while watching her intently. 

“She can’t handle anyone who doesn’t agree with her” she said.

I waited for her to elaborate on the statement.

“She will argue with my dad and try to force him to have the same opinion as her. It is stuff that doesn’t even matter but she can’t handle it if he doesn’t share the same opinion.”

I left more silence. 

“I hate it. I really hate it. I hate how she does this. I mean, she is my mom and I love her but I hate this about her” she said as she looked at the floor.

“What do you hate about it?” I asked hoping that she would be able to express the impact that it had on her. 

“I hate that it makes it impossible to have a real connection with her. I hate that I don’t tell her things because if she doesn’t agree with what I am doing or thinking or saying she will badger me until I tell her that I agree with her, even if I don’t really”. 

I left more silence. 

“I hate it because she shuts me down about everything that we don’t see eye to eye about. I hate it because it feels like she is trying to control everything around her including me” she said as she narrowed her eyes. 

“I hate it because it feels like a lack of respect to everyone around her but she can’t see it like that. She just always has to be right about everything, all of the time. Which means that I don’t really want to be around her” she said as I watched her whole body shift. 

“I hate it because she's been telling me that I am wrong all of the time for years and eventually, I believed her. I hate it because now I have to try to figure out how to believe in myself again” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek and hit her shirt leaving a wet spot.