I saw that my husband was about to explode, so I stood and spoke first.
“That’s enough. Get out of my house! Until you can show us all the respect we deserve, we’re cutting you off.”
Her jaw tightened.
“What? You can’t do that!”
“Yes, we can,” Mark said, walking to our front door and opening it wide. “We might be losers, but this is our house, and we’ve had enough of you.”
Mom looked at me one more time, but I only raised my eyebrows expectantly.
With a huff, she grabbed her purse and stormed out.
Mark slammed the door behind her and barked a laugh.
I didn’t, but I felt a weight off my shoulders.
Since then, our son has been thriving. It’s a little hard not being able to ask Mom to pick Ethan up, but we arranged a carpool schedule with other moms.
Weeks later, on an evening close to Christmas, I confirmed that this had been the right decision while baking cookies from a box mix. Ethan looked up at me with a big smile.
“Mom, I think our family is the best,” he said.
My throat felt too tight as I smiled back.
“Me too, buddy. Me too.”
I don’t know if my mom will ever make her way back into our lives, but so far, she hasn’t even tried. Her pride and toxicity don’t allow her to see the big picture or what truly matters in life.
My advice is: Protect your kids, even if you have to pull away from other family members.
The holidays should be joyful, not a source of stress and tears. Do what’s best for your household!
Source: amomama
