Have you ever tried walking on eggshells? It’s not a very simple task to do, but I do it almost every day. My mom is severely depressed and dependent on my father. My parents have been together for over 20 years. We were struggling financially, my mom got laid off of her job, and when my mom found out that my dad was having an affair, that just put her over the edge- literally. My mother was diagnosed with a mental illness when I was in the 11th grade, after she attempted suicide- twice. She tried taking too many sleeping pills so that she could “fall asleep and never wake up”. Luckily, we caught the odd behavior and were able to get her help before anything really terrible happened. I have always been one of those people that thought, “something that bad could never happen to me” and then, it did.
My mother has always been my role model. She has done everything for me from changing my diapers when I was a baby to enrolling me in my college courses now. If I did not have her, I would not have my own car or good enough credit to rent a home. She has done almost everything for me so when this was all happening, I felt like I not only lost my mom, best friend, and role model, but also myself. I was very lost during her hard times. It hurt me so badly that I did not know how much pain my mother was going through. When the doctor diagnosed her, he also wanted her in a mental institution as well. During her stay at the institution, she underwent therapy, group counseling, and we were also allowed to visit with her.
Now, my mother is getting healthy. She still struggles and has bad days, but now she understands that her family is here for her. Throughout all of these tough times, my dad stuck around. They are still having problems with their marriage, and it looks more and more like divorce everyday, but my mom is able to stay strong for not only my brother and I, but also herself. I really want her to see how much she means to the world, I want her to be able to see herself the way that I see her, and I want her to feel empowered to be the beautiful woman that she is-she is my inspiration.
