V
VintageVixen
Guest
A Snippet of 60s Scoop Intergenerational Trauma
Anger is building inside of me, I feel it in my chest; my heart is beating faster. Hateful words are spinning inside of my head, desperately wanting to escape through my mouth to confront my mother. I take a deep breath in and blow it out, I know what’s coming.
My daughter is talking on the phone with her grandma, and drops the elephant in the room, “Nana, are you home yet? Can I come over for a visit?” I can’t hear what’s being said on the other end of the phone, however, rejection is clearly written across my daughter’s face. Without saying another word, my daughter hands the phone over to her brother.
I approach my pouting daughter who’s sitting on the couch, her arms are wrapped around her knees as she’s pulling them towards her chest. I sit down beside her and pull her into my side. “Well baby girl, what’s the verdict?” I prompt. She’s sullen, “She said that they’re still not home. She doesn’t know when they will come home.”
“I’m sorry you’re hurt,” I tell her, “if your nana truly wanted to be here with us, she would be. You’re amazing, it’s her loss that she’s missing out on time with you.” I kiss the top of my daughter’s head and focus on how my son’s conversation is going.
My son is quiet while holding the phone to his ear, and after saying “uh-huh” a couple of times he hangs up. He glances towards us and says, “She said they’re at the hotel again.” I feel disappointment lingering in the air, and those hateful words start spinning once more.
My mother is an addict. I grew up watching her recover, relapse, and repeat. Her battle with opiate addiction controls her life, and I know it will consume her. I have watched medics release her from death’s grip three times. My mother believes that my anger towards her stems from the trauma of her “near death” experiences, she’s wrong. My anger stems from her inability to save her own life. My anger stems from waiting in emergency rooms all my childhood so she could get her next fix. My anger stems from her inability to break the cycle of abuse. My anger stems from the lack of having a real mother!
I pat the empty spot on the couch beside me, motioning for my son to come and sit with us. He plunks himself down, and I pull him into my other side and kiss the top of his head. As the three of us are cuddled together, I gather my thoughts. I need to stop the hate building inside of me. There’s nothing I can do about my mother’s choices. Instead, I need to be the change that I seek. I need to support my children’s needs. I need to break the cycle of abuse. After all, I am a real mother and change will start with me.
I hope I made you feel something today.
Anger is building inside of me, I feel it in my chest; my heart is beating faster. Hateful words are spinning inside of my head, desperately wanting to escape through my mouth to confront my mother. I take a deep breath in and blow it out, I know what’s coming.
My daughter is talking on the phone with her grandma, and drops the elephant in the room, “Nana, are you home yet? Can I come over for a visit?” I can’t hear what’s being said on the other end of the phone, however, rejection is clearly written across my daughter’s face. Without saying another word, my daughter hands the phone over to her brother.
I approach my pouting daughter who’s sitting on the couch, her arms are wrapped around her knees as she’s pulling them towards her chest. I sit down beside her and pull her into my side. “Well baby girl, what’s the verdict?” I prompt. She’s sullen, “She said that they’re still not home. She doesn’t know when they will come home.”
“I’m sorry you’re hurt,” I tell her, “if your nana truly wanted to be here with us, she would be. You’re amazing, it’s her loss that she’s missing out on time with you.” I kiss the top of my daughter’s head and focus on how my son’s conversation is going.
My son is quiet while holding the phone to his ear, and after saying “uh-huh” a couple of times he hangs up. He glances towards us and says, “She said they’re at the hotel again.” I feel disappointment lingering in the air, and those hateful words start spinning once more.
My mother is an addict. I grew up watching her recover, relapse, and repeat. Her battle with opiate addiction controls her life, and I know it will consume her. I have watched medics release her from death’s grip three times. My mother believes that my anger towards her stems from the trauma of her “near death” experiences, she’s wrong. My anger stems from her inability to save her own life. My anger stems from waiting in emergency rooms all my childhood so she could get her next fix. My anger stems from her inability to break the cycle of abuse. My anger stems from the lack of having a real mother!
I pat the empty spot on the couch beside me, motioning for my son to come and sit with us. He plunks himself down, and I pull him into my other side and kiss the top of his head. As the three of us are cuddled together, I gather my thoughts. I need to stop the hate building inside of me. There’s nothing I can do about my mother’s choices. Instead, I need to be the change that I seek. I need to support my children’s needs. I need to break the cycle of abuse. After all, I am a real mother and change will start with me.
I hope I made you feel something today.