My birth mother hated me from childhood. I was an unwanted and unloved child, because I was the fourth child in the family and was a burden on my mother. There was not enough money for anything, and besides me there were two sisters and one brother in the family. My brother was the oldest and unbearable, I heard a lot of bad stories about him – he smoked, stole money from my mother and grandmother, and was a frequent visitor at pawnshops, which made the family hate him even more than me. He caused them a lot of trouble, and my mother thought that since I was a boy, I was bound to be like him. After all, she had been abandoned by more than one husband, and she had never had a father, and now her sons could be taken away and thrown away. Since they had a bad opinion of me beforehand, I didn’t try to change anything.
Because of my family and the constant accusations that I was useless, studying for D’s and C’s, not raising any hopes and only eating my mother, I had low self-esteem. I had always felt that women were stronger, smarter than me, they were taller, and a lot of that was the reason I met Samantha. She was also strong and independent, she could stand up for herself, but she also brought out the man in me. She raised my self-esteem and taught me responsibility and the feeling that I was just as important in the family as she was. We had equality in the family, and we raised our children with the same thoughts. I had a great family of my own overall, but secretly I also admired Samantha’s parents. She had a mom and a dad and a grandfather, and everyone loved and cared for her very much. They also loved their grandchildren, and they loved me as their son.
My mother had not been to visit us once since our wedding, and she did not want to look at her grandchildren until they were three months old, referring to the fact that it was bad luck. She never spent a penny of her own money on my children, but my father-in-law and mother-in-law always spoiled them with presents.
Once my father-in-law brought the kids sets of candy from a store for New Year’s Eve. I had only seen such sets at my older sisters’, and I rarely got anything from them. It touched me – I couldn’t get these candies, but my kids could. Both from me and from their beloved grandfather.
– Don’t feel bad,” my father-in-law joked with a smile, “I brought you and Samantha something, too.
He handed each box of chocolates to me and my wife.
I have never felt so happy and grateful for everything. I found a real family in which I was loved and valued, even though my parents were not my own. How good it is that I met such people who give love and who accept mine!
