“I Opted Out of Christmas This Year — And My Son Didn’t See What Was Coming”

he muttered that he had to go and hung up.

A week later he called again, his voice lighter this time, almost casual. “Mom, next time just let us know earlier so we can plan around your mood.”

That word—mood—stuck to me like a burr. My boundary, my choice, my self-preservation reduced to nothing more than a temporary emotional state. Something that would continue reading …