Recently, I became a dad and one of my close friends gifted this book to my now 11-month-old daughter. Her smiles and laughs throughout me reading the book to her at bedtime made my heart sign. She already knows to watch out for Ash!
‼️‼️‼️TRIGGER WARNING: Family trauma and sexual assault‼️‼️‼️
I would like to get some advice. I’m 39 years old of Haitian origin. I have been with my husband for 20 years now and we have an almost 11-month old queen of a firecracker! My husband is from Trinidad.
I came out to my Haitian mother at 19 years old. I was so terrified that I wrote her a 7-page letter, left it on her side of the dining table where she usually sits and went to my college to “study” as I told her. After she read the letter, she called me crying to come home. I did, we sat on the couch and talked, and she said she would help get through this. I didn’t know that meant trying to get me to be straight.
That year after I came out was rough at home. I would find my mother crying randomly. She thought I was lying all the time. She didn’t trust me around my own little brother, and eventually accused me of raping him. It turns out the pain he was having was hemorrhoids after seeing a doctor. A few months after that, she kicked me out. I was 19, didn’t have a job and I was still in college. It was just my book bag and duffel bag staying wherever a friend could let me stay with them.
My husband and I got married and she did not attend. Only one of my aunts and my cousins came. My husband’s parents came, and eventually apologized for all the homophobic statements and behaviors they carried out.
With our daughter being in the picture now, my aunts keep telling me to be the bigger person and forgive my mother. I didn’t even tell her we adopted because I felt that since she wasn’t there for me during this journey, she doesn’t get to be grandma now especially since my husband’s family has been welcoming and we actually addressed everything.
Today, the family got together because my grandmother’s brother passed away. My mother approached to tell me she wants to open college fund for my daughter. I told my aunts that I want to address everything first and not brush everything under the rug as we keep doing as a community. One of my aunts told me I was just as stubborn as my mother. I feel like this is different here, and we should take specific steps towards healing.
What do y’all think?
She will tear through Tokyo soon!
I still remember when my aunt first took me to see ‘Jurassic Park’ in theaters in 1993. It instantly became my favorite movie after ‘Aliens’. Fast forward to today, I finally read the first book. I didn’t realize so much was altered! What is more fascinating for me is how much in that book is in all the movies all the way to ‘Rebirth’. I am about to start the second book, so I can only imagine how much I will realize with this one. This also tells me they could essentially milk these two books for more and more movies. I also can’t believe Malcolm was that much more annoying to me in the book, but I digress!
No, I’m not talking about diapers! Our almost 10-month old baby girl is moving! Honestly, it feels like she pressed fast forward. Two days ago, she pulled herself to stand up for the first time. Yesterday, we saw she was scooting more than usual. So during FaceTime with grandma, we placed the phone on the ground with grandma telling her to come towards her. One leg went up. Then another. Then homegirl sped crawled to the phone! It was amazing! Now if you’ll excuse me while I go happy cry! 😭
No, I’m not talking about diapers! Our almost 10-month old baby girl is moving! Honestly, it feels like she pressed fast forward. Two days ago, she pulled herself to stand up for the first time. Yesterday, we saw she was scooting more than usual. So during FaceTime with grandma, we placed the phone on the ground with grandma telling her to come towards her. One leg went up. Then another. Then homegirl sped crawled to the phone! It was amazing! Now if you’ll excuse me while I go happy cry! 😭