Feeling free

I recently set a boundary with my NM and she crossed it over the weekend. I gave myself some time to process how to discuss it and, today, decided to give it a go.

I felt surprisingly calm and held firm to my assertions that she had crossed a boundary and asked her not to do it again. She was certain that I was wrong, of course, because she didn’t do anything intentionally to be offensive or hurtful. She was also “so confused” about my feelings. I didn’t budge and kept asserting my boundary.

She followed up with a text in an effort to bait me into her spiral, but I calmly and rationally explained that she didn’t have to understand my feelings, I was simply asking her to respect them. I also said that I assumed that, as her child, I was able to communicate openly with her.

Y’all, she was completely disarmed! I refused to engage in her narcissism and calmly held firm to my expectations. She relented. Who knows if it will stick, but it felt so good to be free from her manipulation! I was completely unbothered by her tantrum and that drove her crazy, but left her no choice. I’m so proud of my growth!