The Night My Mother Said She Wished I Had Never Been Born

their perspective more fully.

I handed it to Lily.

She read it and looked up. “That’s not an apology,” she said. “That’s a justification with apology language installed.”

She was exactly right. The letter was entirely about them. Their intentions, their pain, their self-image as parents who had done their best. The only thing they were sorry about was continue reading …