Normal is such a scary word. I've always thought normal meant no divorce, no domestic violence, no sexual assault, no child abuse, no alcoholism or co-dependency, and no mental illness. HA! My family and I have all of the above.

I have a friend who grew up in a home that never saw any of those things, until she was 18 - and her parents divorced. None of the other problems rose their ugly heads. I find it nearly impossible to relate to her (or really, it's her relating to me).

At 12, I was the mother in my family while Mom regressed into childhood, but then went on and got a job, so I took over the household chores and childcare. I went on to date the same guy for 4 1/2 years, and he came from a family with all the above problems, including having his father commit suicide in front of him when he was 14

So - neither of us have ever felt normal.

My friend goes on and on about people I knew and how awful their lives were. She considers herself normal. And she considers us "not normal."

But, I have to say, I have a lot more compassion and understanding and willingness to forgive than she does.

So would I wish to be her "normal" or myself, who at the age of 42, now considers myself as "okay," which I guess could be intrepreted as "normal?"

Maybe we shouldn't use the word normal, here. It might send us all into regression )

[ April 14, 2005, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: Dian ]