You were TEN. You were a very bright child, but you were a CHILD. When adults don't behave like adults, it does not mean that children have to behave like adults.
Consider why your mother may have felt hurt. Hurt by the financial situation? Hurt by the emotion of disappointment that she felt *on your behalf*? Hurt by being in an abusive situation? Hurt by her own latent guilt for not protecting her children from abuse?
Or hurt by the natural expression of a natural emotion FROM A CHILD?
Ingratitude is a very natural emotion to feel when it appears that we have been presented with a betrayal.
Also remember that your mother explained to you how the Angel Tree worked. It all made sense to you then, when you saw what you saw. Is it reasonable to expect a ten year old child (a super bright ten year old child, sure) to postulate the existence of such a project with no prior evidence for same? Is it reasonable to expect a child to instantly suppress all display of emotion so as to protect the emotions and the apparent emotions of those around him? You must remember not to exist, or you'll rock the boat.
I need to step the fuck off. I'm way overstepping a line here.
Yeah, it is tough. But it is possible to at least partially succeed, by asking questions, by retelling and reframing the narrative. One can imagine, for example, how the narrative might be retold if your character did not have (imposed upon him by emotional abuse, let us remember) the responsibility to keep everyone else OK.
Consider why your mother may have felt hurt. Hurt by the financial situation? Hurt by the emotion of disappointment that she felt *on your behalf*? Hurt by being in an abusive situation? Hurt by her own latent guilt for not protecting her children from abuse?
Or hurt by the natural expression of a natural emotion FROM A CHILD?
Ingratitude is a very natural emotion to feel when it appears that we have been presented with a betrayal.
Also remember that your mother explained to you how the Angel Tree worked. It all made sense to you then, when you saw what you saw. Is it reasonable to expect a ten year old child (a super bright ten year old child, sure) to postulate the existence of such a project with no prior evidence for same? Is it reasonable to expect a child to instantly suppress all display of emotion so as to protect the emotions and the apparent emotions of those around him? You must remember not to exist, or you'll rock the boat.
I need to step the fuck off. I'm way overstepping a line here.
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It's damn hard to cut yourself any slack
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