Back in the mid-70’s my mother told me that if I wanted to go to a psychiatrist that she would pay for it.  1 time.  It’s too bad that she didn’t try to step up to the plate and acknowledge her craziness and go to counseling with me..but she didn’t and that is history.  At the time, the shrink “helped” me with my guilt by telling me that I had Cinderella Syndrome.  Of course, affirming that all of my problems were me and my way of thinking and he made no effort to help me understand how I developed this Cinderella Syndrome.  Apparently it presents itself as always feeling put upon, always doing the work and resenting everyone for it.  My answer to this today is…well, OF COURSE!!!  So I continued my journey into hate and resentment until in my middle age, I realized that something had to give and I sought counseling to work thru my disfunctional life.

With some clarity now, I look back on the Cinderella thing and realize that the shrink had, perhaps, actually picked up on something.  I am healthy enough now not to see it as a big red check mark and something else bad about my personality…I now see it as a label or tool that when I feel a certain way, I can ask myself why I’m feeling like Cinderella and work my way thru the anger and anxiety. 

Kimba and I were just talking the other day about how many of us have clarity and some resentment about the way we were treated as children….and…so many time we have broken that particular cycle; but, our kids will feel that we have failed them another way…and in turn…they will turn around and do the same with their children.  I guess as long as we continue to improve with each generation, we should be getting better…shouldn’t we?  But the fact of the matter …there is a cycle for everything…and the cycle the current young adults are in appears to me to be very self-absorbed and disfunctional and resentful…OR…I’m just seeing it thru older, experienced eyes?

Until next time…