Mom said, “You’re the most useless child we have.” Everyone stared. I stood up and said, “Then stop calling me when you need money.” Her face fell. Everyone stopped breathing.
My name is Linda, and I’m 32 years old.
Last Christmas, I thought I was finally going to have the perfect family dinner where I could share some amazing news.
I’d just gotten engaged to the love of my life, David, and received a promotion at work that I’d been working toward for three years.
I was so excited to tell my family, thinking maybe this time—just maybe—my mom would finally be proud of me.
But instead, what happened that night changed everything between us forever.
And honestly, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.
Before I dive into what went down that Christmas evening, growing up, I was always the middle child in a family where being middle meant being invisible.
My older brother, Michael, was the golden boy, the one who could do no wrong in my mother, Patricia’s eyes. He’s a doctor now and she never lets anyone forget it.
My younger sister, Karen, was the baby. The precious little princess who got away with everything and grew up to become a successful lawyer.
And then there was me, Linda, stuck right in the middle, desperately trying to figure out how to earn even a fraction of the attention and love they seemed to get so effortlessly.
From the time I was old enough to understand family dynamics, I knew I had to work twice as hard for half the recognition.
While Michael got praised for bringing home bees, I had to maintain straight A’s just to get a nod of acknowledgement.
When Karen threw tantrums and broke things, it was cute and she was just expressing herself.
When I so much as raised my voice, I was being disrespectful and needed an attitude adjustment.
I remember spending countless hours in high school working part-time jobs at the local grocery store and tutoring younger kids. Not because we needed the money, but because I thought if I could contribute financially, maybe my parents would see my value.
I saved every penny to buy my mom flowers on Mother’s Day, jewelry for her birthday, and thoughtful Christmas gifts that I’d spend weeks picking out.
Michael and Karen would grab something last minute from the mall, and somehow their gifts were always the ones that got the biggest smiles and the longest hugs.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
TAP → NEXT PAGE → 👇
