Toxic relatives

To the brave kid who broke up with their toxic mom.

I knew someone who'd cut off her abusive parents. She said people were usually astonished and disapproving. "They're your parents!"

I find it sad that people can bury their heads in the sand and think that being a parent - or a relative of any description** - excuses abuse. That just because your abuser shares DNA with you, it means you can't protect yourself by cutting them off.

I'm not talking about parents who were less than perfect. I'm talking about parents who were actively harmful to their child. Sometimes, the relationship improves when the child becomes an adult. But is that because the parent sees the error of their ways or because the child is no longer completely powerless?

If you don't know what it means to have an abusive relative, be glad. If you know someone who's cut a relative out of their life, do them a favour and don't judge them.

**It's okay to cut toxic adult children out of your life too. No one should accept abuse and ill treatment, regardless of the relationship.