2 years ago I laid down brutal truth to my mom and helped her leave QAnonsense behind.

2 years ago, sometime around the end of 2020/beginning of 2021, my mom started diving deeper into republican/QAnon conspiracies more than I’d ever seen. She had sort of dabbled in it here and there before that time and I’d brush it off as some political nonsense that I didn’t want to be involved with. Im very progressive leaning so she’d often use these things to get quick jabs at me, but I’d ignore them for the sake of my relationship with my mom. I hated arguing with her on a political front since, as many of you probably already know, arguing with those involved with QAnon was frustratingly like shouting at a brick wall.

Fast forward to the summer of 2021 and she’s full-blown into it. She’s gone off the deep end and fully spouting and believing these conspiracies. It controlled her life. It was all she wanted and all she ever spoke to me or my younger brother about. Constant comments and rants about Biden or the deep state or democrats. At the time, my brother was joining the Air Force and was about to leave to basic where he’d soon be stationed out of the country. This was it. My mom had delved so far deep into this that even my brother—someone who doesn’t care about voting or politics with even an ounce of his being—began to avoid her. So much so that he confided in me that he may just leave for his assignment with no contact with her. He was distraught. He cried to me for first time since he was a child. My heart shattered.

That was the last straw for me. I love my brother and sometimes I can’t control how protective I am of him. I went to my mom and told her to listen. I was shaking at the time but I knew I had to say something as this would be the only chance. I left her with just this: “Mom, if you love me or [my brother], then you need to stop. You are pushing your children away with this. If you want any semblance of a relationship with me or him, then you need to stop. This is your last chance, [he] is leaving and he has already decided to never speak to you if you keep this up. Do you really want this more than your own children?”

She didn’t answer me. I don’t remember what I did after saying that but I know I didn’t stay long enough for her to say something.

Now, in 2023, she never talks about it, never posts about it, never even looks. I’m not sure if what I said that day changed something in her that day but I’d like to believe it helped pull her out. I’m fortunate enough to have a mother who loved her kids more than QAnon. I know not everyone is as fortunate. I’m not sure what the goal of this post is anymore but I just wanted to share that. There’s always a chance—at least, in my experience there is.