EVEN a simple phone call is an emotional minefield that can trigger a flood of frustration, anger and guilt. Guilt that she’s had therapy to learn to deal with, that she tries not to get sucked into – but it still sinks its claws into her every time she talks to her mother.
Family get-togethers are never easy and relaxed, usually ending on an explosive note when she and her mother are in the same room.
It’s not the ideal parent-child dynamic, but it’s a reality for Allyson Diedricks* who struggles to think of her relationship with her mother as anything other than toxic.
While children should be able to rely on their parents to nurture their physical
