The Struggle is Real
I am having this recurring pattern of thought lately. Anyone who has known me my whole adult life would have certainly gleaned that I feel like I lost the parenting lottery as a child. I am sure a lot of people feel like this at certain points of time growing up and then as an adult, reflecting on the past. Dealing with parental disappointment is not unique...and sometimes it is not fair because, as parents, we all seem to try our best with the skills we have. I discovered at 8 that my step dad, Don, was not my real dad. He and my mother married when I was 3 and divorced when I was 13. I was told (in the most least child friendly way) my real dad was named Gordon. I met Gordon briefly for about an hour when I was 8. He was friendly, he taught me a yo-yo trick (it was 1978 or 1979), he had a blue/white budgie that really impressed me. Then - I never saw him again. I think I got a phone call once after the meeting...and a polaroid photo of him. That photo was destroyed during the teen an...
