Growing up my mother was mentally unstable and overwhelmed with taking care of three children. Our relationship was always hard but I moved out at 18, left the country and only came back once. My childhood was tough. It also made me tough and able to survive. Today I am able to communicate with my mother through texts and the occasional phone call, she even met my partner and I on a recent overseas trip. I can separate the woman from the mother at this point but it took me a good 10 years. We're not close but I'd like to think that by being in contact and setting boundaries, I was able to make peace with my past.