My mom used to defend her parenting and reminded me how I deserved what I got or didn’t get, etc. My mom criticized me, insisting I needed to “let her get some independence” or “toughen her up.”Now she’s in college and wonderfully strong, hardworking, self-aware and exceedingly kind. And NOW my mom has started in with this weird, guilty, self-reflective narrative that makes me wildly uncomfortable. Your mom clearly remained one of them — right up until she saw your daughter not turn out to be a weak, skirt-clinging ... This is a mom who has apparently made it a kind of signature not to doubt her choices, right?

Source: Washington Post March 22, 2026 10:33 UTC