Thank you all for your stories, as sad as they are and as much as I can sympathize, it feels good to be able to relate to someone. I get so bitter now when I hear my friends complain of a petty fight they have with their parents and how much they "hate" them. I feel like giving them a reality smack because I always envied the relationships they had/have. Gitane, I enjoyed listening to you because I really related when you said that your mothers negativity pushed you to be professionally succesful. My mom was so depressed that she worked a part time job, WITH THREE KIDS, at a retail store. I worked more hours then her! Thankfully my dad payed child support and we were able to live normally, but we were not as "comfortable" financially as I would want. Seeing my mom sleep all day untill 5 in the afternoon everyday because she was too depressed to get herself out of bed, and when she would she would go to her 4 hour shift a night job enraged me. This is also why we didnt get along, I thought she lacked responsibilty and was extremely lazy and took advantage of the child support my father sent. What would she do if he never sent the money? I always promised myself I would never have to rely on another person finacially, and have pushed myself academically to ensure that I keep that promise to myself. Also I have extreme money anxiety and save every penny. Its very hard to forget all the bad times, even though there were some good. Also Gitane I dont know why you needed forgiveness from your mother, you sound like you did everything you could for her and you should not feel guilty for her depression. Moon, I am sorry for your losses but as much as you may be depressed and feel guilt I cannot tell you how strong you are to have dealt with all of that in your life. I think one of the best compliments you can give someone is to tell them they are strong. I hope and look forward to talking to you all more.