Dear June,
I am in over 80 and struggling with my relationship with my children. My daughter and granddaughter, and one son and his wife (who live far away) avoid, disregard, mock, ghost, and shun me. I love them deeply and have strongly invested myself to try for more positive relationships. I have so much pain over these losses of relationship. What have I done that makes me so undesirable? How is it that good professional people can treat me in ways that are beneath their status and dignity? Should I not come to family gatherings? In my birth family we braced ourselves to spend time together at holidays. It was spending precious holiday time with those we least wanted to spend time with. Now I am reliving those stressful times in my own family.