my pa wrote this to me the other day: * what your momma does not get is that people are allowed to fuck up. To be terrified of the second-guess is to be paralyzed. Did we both use that word?
She vents to you because she knows I won't take it. She has no "editor" that tells her when it's too much. You have to protect yourself. You must have your life as you see fit. Your mom would, if she could, ensure that it was a safe and happy life, as would I. So we compromise between our biological imperatives to protect you, and the realization that we cannot possibly protect you to the extent that we would. *