Hello, question asker. I'm Evan, a counselor in the Transactional Analysis school.
From the questioner's description, it is clear that she is experiencing negative emotions, including pain and shock. It is not uncommon for parents to subconsciously treat their children in a manner that reflects the habits they acquired in their original family.
Given your mother's revelations, I can understand why you feel uncomfortable. It's clear that there's an unfairness in the family dynamic, particularly in the way your parents treat you and your brothers.
The mother's confessions will make the questioner feel like he is not important in the family and even neglected. The questioner mentioned that when he went to school, he could only get 500 yuan a month for living expenses, and he had to please his mother to get it. This experience will make the questioner feel like he does not get the love and support he deserves in the family.
The patriarchal attitude in the questioner's family has resulted in an uneven distribution of resources and attention, which has made the questioner feel neglected and unvalued. The questioner's mother has provided significant financial support to your brothers but has been reserved with you. In some cases, it seems that the questioner's needs have been ignored or trivialized.
The questioner and her husband needed financial support, yet they were not satisfied. Instead, her husband was valued by her mother and his needs were met. This difference in treatment made the questioner feel deeply that she was not valued and even ignored.
The questioner is clearly puzzled and angry at her mother's behavior. The mother's actions, such as paying off her father's gambling debts and providing financial support to her brothers, are clearly akin to aiding the wicked. The questioner has every right to be confused about why she did it.
This lack of understanding will undoubtedly affect your relationship with your mother and make you feel negatively about her.
This kind of differential treatment will undoubtedly evoke a range of negative emotions and feelings in the questioner, including a sense of injustice, neglect, anger, disappointment, and self-doubt.
These views of their parents on the questioner are like shackles, added to the questioner, making the questioner afraid to accept true love or goodwill from others because they believe these things are just like what their parents have taught them, that there needs to be quid pro quo.
Since the question was asked on a platform, we cannot discuss the questioner's problems in depth. However, we can give the questioner some simple advice on how to deal with the impact on her.
Accept and understand your feelings. It is normal to feel negative emotions when we feel unappreciated.
Don't deny or repress your emotions. Accept them and understand the reasons behind them. Express your feelings by keeping a diary or talking to friends.
The questioner can see herself more clearly and learn to deal with these emotions by understanding and expressing her feelings. It is normal to acknowledge and accept anger, sadness, or disappointment as a reaction.
Don't suppress or deny your feelings.
You need to communicate with your mother. If you are dissatisfied with or confused by certain behaviors of your mother, you need to talk to her about it.
It is crucial to be mindful of the manner and tone of communication to prevent hurting each other's feelings. The questioner has the right to express their thoughts and feelings and to seek their mother's views and thoughts.
From the questioner's mother, I see a clear intergenerational inheritance. Her mother was also treated this way at home, and she treated the questioner the same way. She wants to convey these feelings to make the questioner understand the hurt and lack of attention she has received.
Examine your own values. The influence of the original family on the questioner may lead to the formation of certain fixed patterns of behavior and values.
These experiences will prompt the questioner to reconsider their views on family and affection. They should take the initiative to re-examine their own values and make any necessary adjustments.
If your family is negatively affecting your values, you must set clear boundaries with your family of origin to protect yourself.
Seek professional help. If you feel you cannot handle the emotional impact of this alone, you should seek the help of a professional counselor.
They can provide more specific and professional advice and support. At the same time, communication with a counselor will reveal how the questioner's own behavior patterns in relationships and their own desire for intimacy have been formed by the influence of their family of origin.
Focus on your own growth. If you want to get rid of the influence of your original family, you need to focus on your own growth.
The questioner can focus on self-growth and their own lives. They can't change their family or their parents, but they can change themselves and improve themselves. They can free themselves from the influence of their original family. When they've done that, they should celebrate their own progress and success.
I want to tell the questioner that everyone has their own growth experience and family background, and these factors affect our behavior and perceptions. The questioner must remain open-minded and tolerant, respect other people's choices and decisions, and understand that their value is not defined by the way their family treats them.
The questioner has every right to feel hurt and unfair, and they can and will overcome these challenges and build a more satisfying and loving life.
I am confident that my answer will help the questioner.
I highly recommend the following books:
"The Family of Origin: How to Mend Your Character Deficiencies" is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand the impact of family dynamics on personal growth and character development. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges often faced by individuals in their family of origin and offers practical strategies for addressing these issues.
This book provides an in-depth analysis of the various problems that may arise in the family environment from the perspectives of family, children, parents, and spousal relationships, especially those factors that may cause us harm.
"Healing from the wounds of the original family" is the definitive guide to overcoming the damage caused by your original family. It provides a series of practical methods and suggestions to help you break free from the shadow of your past and rebuild a healthy self-image.
If you feel you were emotionally neglected during your upbringing, this book will help you understand the consequences of this emotional neglect and provide you with practical guidance on how to overcome it.
Nonviolent Communication: This book offers a new way of communicating that helps us express our needs and feelings better while also respecting and understanding the position of others. It is the best way to deal with conflicts and contradictions in family relationships.
Comments
I can understand how hurt and confused you must feel learning about these things now. It's like finding out a part of your family's history that has been hidden, and it changes how you see everything. The way your mother treated you compared to the rest of the family really stirs up a lot of painful emotions.
It's really tough when you realize that someone close to you has made choices that seem unfair or favor others over you. You've put up with a lot and yet felt undervalued, which can definitely make you question your worth within the family. I'm sorry you had to go through this.
This situation must have brought up so many conflicting feelings for you. On one hand, you're angry at the unequal treatment, and on the other, you might be feeling guilty for having those feelings towards your parents. It's okay to feel both; it's part of processing such a complex issue.
Your mother's actions reflect her own values and perhaps the pressures she faced, but that doesn't justify the way you were treated. It's important to recognize your value and not let the past define your selfworth. Maybe talking to a counselor could help you sort through all these emotions.
It sounds like you've been carrying this burden silently for a long time. Realizing that you weren't given the same opportunities as others in your family can be incredibly disheartening. You deserve support and understanding, and it's alright to seek that from people who will appreciate you for who you are.