Silent Abandonment and Its Consequences

My mom chose her new family over me so I made sure she learned what abandonment really

feels like. My mom used to be my whole world. And for a long time, I convinced myself

I was hers too. But little by little, she pushed me out of her life. She built a new

family, a new home, a new version of motherhood — one that didn’t seem

to include me anymore. Graduation was when it finally hit me: I wasn’t a priority. I wasn’t even a

consideration. I was just… there. A background character in a house I thought was mine.

Years later, she invited me to dinner. For a moment, I thought maybe—just

maybe—she wanted to reconnect. Instead, it was a celebration for her stepson.