One of the most painful experiences you can go through is realizing that your relationship with family members is transactional. They don't like you , they use you, not all but most.
Their kindness isn't genuine; it's manipulative. Their demands aren't requests-they're orders. Their generosity isn't heartfelt; it always comes with strings attached. It's not just that they don't like you-it's that they sometimes pretend they do. And because it's your family, you excuse their hurtful behavior by creating justifications, mistaking breadcrumbs for castles.
Often times you gaslight yourself, because who could believe that a father, mother or sibling might truly feel no love for you? This doesn't just distort your present, it defines your future relationships, where you begin to accept the bare minimum as normal and mistake toxic behavior and emotional discomfort for love.
The awakening is brutal after a lifetime spent trying to be as convenient as possible for those family members asking for the bare minimum while always being in attendance you come to realize they never truly cared, and everything you thought was love was actually manipulation. People who haven't grown up with narcissistic family members may never fully understand the impact it leaves, so don't let them judge what you need to do to reclaim yourself.
