I found this card in a box I bought at a thrift store and I absolutely love it. I was close to publishing my memoir Steel Town Girl and I was still so close to the trauma of it all and reeling in pain, that it made me cry like a baby.
When I look this little girl’s face, I see someone snuggled up close to good feelings like a snuggly old teddy bear because she doesn’t yet know how to articulate her feelings. But, we can see it in her giddy rosy glow and gooey embarrassment from all the attention that she is getting that she feels valued, loved and celebrated. Exactly what children should feel. It’s not about decadent cakes, expensive gifts, or parties we can’t afford. It’s about celebrating the person. Yay! I had you and you are a gift to my life! I love you and I want to tell the world I’m happy you’re here!
Children of narcissistic parents rarely feel important or loved and get through life feeling unworthy of anything good, let alone get celebrated. After all, who do we think we are? We’re just a pain in our parent’s backside, and we require way too much. This hurts adult children of narcissistic parents for decades until we process the pain and we learn to celebrate ourselves. And even then, no matter how old we get — it still stings seeing others have loving, caring, parents when we didn’t.
I’ll be 51 soon, so this year I’m celebrating and appreciating my resilience, determination, and an innate ability to survive this plight with a sense of humor and an open heart. I’m feeling as giddy and gooey with excitement for the future as the little girl in the photo. And because of that, I want to give away 5 copies (one book for every decade of my life) in return for your honest review of the book.
Contest rules:
- Comment below and tell me your best EVER childhood birthday memory!
- Tell me why you love to read memoirs.
- I’ll choose the five best answers as winners!
- I’ll contact each winner and ask for an address and send your book!
Simple!
*Contest runs from Nov 30th-Dec 10th.
Robin Donnelly 