ten years old
Last night after the show, I went out with my mother for a bite to eat. I told her about the fact that the acting was going well, and people were encouraging me to try out for more challenging roles this fall... and she said "Well, I hope it doesn't interfere with school"
Then I tell her about my husband's sucess as a programmer and how one of his businesses looks like it will do very well and she starts telling me how dangerous and irresponsible it is for us to be involved in start-up companies.
What the hell? I'm almost 30 years old. I'm very sucessful in science. I just won an award for my work on stage. I've got money in the bank, and a healthy relationship with an intelligent and hardworking computer geek. I have a master's degree. And she treats me like I'm a ten-year old. I tell her about my life and she gives me these condescending comments as if I'm unable to make realistic assesments of what is going on in my own life, and if I'm unable to suceed without her help. And the worst part is that then I start to doubt myself.
Here's another example: My brother's wedding. With the help of spiritseeker, I put together 4 great outfits that looked fabulous (almost all from second hand stores). Everywhere I went during the wedding events, people commented on how well put together I looked. So I came down to the post-wedding brunch in a cream shell and cream skirt with a gorgeous orange silk Tibetan scarf. It was a show-stopper and I knew it. Everyone was watching me. I got my breakfast and sat down with my family, and my mother started picking at imaginary crumbs that were on the scarf and trying to pull it out of the way so I wouldn't spill my breakfast on it. Even though I wasn't spilling my breakfast. I've been able to eat food while wearing nice clothes for many years now... but it didn't matter-- to her I was ten years old.
If only I could figure out how to not let her get to me.
Then I tell her about my husband's sucess as a programmer and how one of his businesses looks like it will do very well and she starts telling me how dangerous and irresponsible it is for us to be involved in start-up companies.
What the hell? I'm almost 30 years old. I'm very sucessful in science. I just won an award for my work on stage. I've got money in the bank, and a healthy relationship with an intelligent and hardworking computer geek. I have a master's degree. And she treats me like I'm a ten-year old. I tell her about my life and she gives me these condescending comments as if I'm unable to make realistic assesments of what is going on in my own life, and if I'm unable to suceed without her help. And the worst part is that then I start to doubt myself.
Here's another example: My brother's wedding. With the help of spiritseeker, I put together 4 great outfits that looked fabulous (almost all from second hand stores). Everywhere I went during the wedding events, people commented on how well put together I looked. So I came down to the post-wedding brunch in a cream shell and cream skirt with a gorgeous orange silk Tibetan scarf. It was a show-stopper and I knew it. Everyone was watching me. I got my breakfast and sat down with my family, and my mother started picking at imaginary crumbs that were on the scarf and trying to pull it out of the way so I wouldn't spill my breakfast on it. Even though I wasn't spilling my breakfast. I've been able to eat food while wearing nice clothes for many years now... but it didn't matter-- to her I was ten years old.
If only I could figure out how to not let her get to me.