A Family Issue

[Templum]

Hi,

I pray for my family once a week. I live abroad. I live far away from my family. I work hard to honour my parents in my life and have had challenges since I’ve been away from them. It has been sometimes very hard to deal with them when I was in their country on vacation. They sometimes criticize me for things like my washing habits, my “steady” talking…They can’t cope with anything negative about me…They give me money and a place to stay when I’m on vacation, but moral support is not always there. Criticism is what I get…and it’s not constructive…It’s brutally expressed. I’m asked questions about my social life out where I live. I feel sometimes that my mother tests my faith. Can you help me deal with my parents in such a way that I can make them happy in their life. I feel like they don’t like me. I feel hatred sometimes.

Templum

 

[Joe_5859]

I am sorry you are going through this. I would suggest praying for your family every day rather than just once a week.

Not knowing you or your parents personally, I suppose I can’t say with certainty, but it seems likely that your parents do not “hate” you. Sometimes, parents have difficulty treating us as adults once we become adults. Your parents love you, and they are showing it by attempting to “correct” what they see as problems in your life. Not that this is the right thing for them to do, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s parents have done this!

I don’t know if I have much in the way of practical advice other than “try not to let it get to you.” Easier said than done, though. You could also try sharing your concerns with your parents, if you think it would help. It probably couldn’t hurt, could it?