|| || My Mum doesn't know the meaning of the word. She is an emotional || vampire at times, and it is about time she pulled herself together || and stopped feeling sorry for herself. ||
Martyn's right - it's a funny time of year for families. My Mum became pretty hard work in some ways in the last few years of her life - awkward, didn't seem to care much about me or my kids, turned very much in on herself. She lived 350 miles away and I didn't see her as much as I should have done. I think we react to our parents as if we were still teenagers sometimes, no matter how old we get. I thought the problem was all with her, going funny and getting old and awkward. Now I think she was just lonely and frightened (although she would have been appalled at the suggestion) and I wish I had done more. When they're gone, they're gone and there's damn-all you can do to put things right.
Hope you feel better soon, Nikki.