I was watching Big Love today and suddenly found myself sobbing. This year, they have had Nicki dealing with being a mom to her teen-age daughter - a daughter she had when she was herself a teenager as a product of a forced marriage. Nicki has been unable to separate her feeling about what happened to her from what she wants her daughter's life to be. And when she discovers that the girl has had a sexual relationship with her math tutor, she loses all ability to be reasonable.
She sits on her daughter's bed and tells her that she is horrible, that no one will ever love her, that she is evil and unworthy of love. Of course, Nicki is actually talking to herself - but the cost will be that her daughter is now shamed and lost and messed up. The show wants us to believe that with enough love the girl will be fine. But I know better.
While she may never have sat on my bed and told me in words that I was unworthy of love and shameful and obviously evidence of a sexual relationship between middle aged people who should have known better; my mother certainly left me feeling that no amount of love will ever remove the shame of who I am.
I've tried to love myself enough - to believe in myself enough - but right now - there will never be enough.
She sits on her daughter's bed and tells her that she is horrible, that no one will ever love her, that she is evil and unworthy of love. Of course, Nicki is actually talking to herself - but the cost will be that her daughter is now shamed and lost and messed up. The show wants us to believe that with enough love the girl will be fine. But I know better.
While she may never have sat on my bed and told me in words that I was unworthy of love and shameful and obviously evidence of a sexual relationship between middle aged people who should have known better; my mother certainly left me feeling that no amount of love will ever remove the shame of who I am.
I've tried to love myself enough - to believe in myself enough - but right now - there will never be enough.
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