I'm glad I was wrong and that she contacted them. That is such a dramatic change. For years she has been trying to bully, manipulate and threaten you into easing that transition for her. I imagine this took a tremendous amount of courage on her part. While yes, it is very cold and impersonal, I think it could have been substantially worse given how she tends to communicate with you.
I didn't have a parent leave, so I don't how that feels personally. But I have watched both of my children struggle in different ways. I have to believe that getting occasional glimpses of the crazy has to help the children better comprehend that this is not about them and not about them not being good enough. That she is not living a happy life somewhere having forgotten all about them. Also, I think that she has had such a hard time reaching out to them has to hurt. It is one thing to not feel up to responding to your mother or wanting more effort before you do, and entirely another to not even have her try to contact you.
Thank goodness for you Irish. Thank goodness your daughters have you. And thank goodness that you are still able to respond to her and take her calls after what she has done. Your strength has been the linchpin to enable all of you to continue moving forward; even her. Very, very slowly, but she is moving forward.
