Loving our mothers even when we don’t like them

“I love my mother. But then I could say I dislike my mother. I don’t want to say there are times I hate my mother because even to me it sounds really bad. But there are times when I dislike her a lot because of the person she is and the person she always was.

“I know in the Bible it says we must honour our parents and maybe that is one reason why I does try to show respect but some of de things mommy do me is in this life I should just keep away from her like forever.”

As she spoke, this woman in her early 40s with three adult children of her own seemed to struggle to find the right words. There were times during our conversation when her voice broke and a hint of tears was seen but she did not breakdown. We have known each other for years and while I knew she had difficult relationship with her mother (like so many of us) I did not realise the magnitude of that difficulty.