
My mother had a clear favorite her entire life, while I was raised by my grandparents mostly. When she got old and sick, I helped financially but refused to do more than that for a crucial reason.
While most good parents would tell you that they don’t have a favorite, my mother was not ashamed to tell me that my brother, Stanley, was her golden boy. My father walked out of our family because caring for two children became too much.
In the end, my mother blamed me for it. “He wouldn’t have left if I hadn’t gotten pregnant with you,” she told me one day. I was just a child at the time and only wanted my mother’s love.
“But that’s not my fault,” I replied. “I didn’t ask to be born.”
“Don’t talk back to me! I’m the parent, and you’re the kid, so shut up,” she finished. We would have similar conversations through the years whenever she was mad at me. Finally, my mother sent me to live with my paternal grandparents.
They felt so bad that our father had walked away from our lives that they took me in and gave me all the love I never received at home. That’s how I learned that the word family has lots of meanings.
All I heard about my mother and brother over the years was that she helped him with everything. He got into some trouble with the police, and my mother paid all his legal fees. Eventually, she had to sell her house and pay for his apartment.
Stanley was spoiled and couldn’t hold down a job, but my mother coddled him. Meanwhile, my grandparents didn’t have much money, but they gave me everything they could. I had to work to afford my college and my home.
I learned a whole ton of responsibility, and when I graduated, I got a pretty decent job. That’s where I met my husband, Lawrence. We had two daughters whom I cherished equally. When my grandparents got sick, I was there for them until the very end.
They gave me their house, and one of my daughters moved there when she got married. Unfortunately, my husband died shortly after her wedding. She asked me to live with her, but I wanted to stay in our home.
I didn’t hear from my brother or my mother for many years. They didn’t care about me at all, so why should I care about them? But one day, Stanley called. “Hello?” I answered the phone.
“Hey, Brooke. It’s Stanley. How are you?” my brother said through the other line.
“Oh, hey, Stanley. Long time, no speak. I’m fine. How about you?” I replied.
“Yeah, it’s been a while. Listen, I’m calling because Mom broke her hip. I need your help,” Stanley continued.
“Oh, that’s too bad. Is she ok?” I asked.
“She’s fine. It’s just that the hospital bill will be pretty expensive, and I need help paying for it. She’s our mother after all,” he explained.
“Oh, well. Ok. Give me the details, and I’ll send some money,” I told him. My husband and I had accumulated decent savings, so I could afford to send Stanley some money for whatever our mother needed.
“That’s great, Brooke. Thank you. I’ll talk to you later,” Stanley said and hung up. I didn’t feel any obligation to my mother, but I wasn’t heartless. I sent him the money and forgot about it until a week later when my brother called again.
“Hey, Brooke!” Stanley started.
“Hey. How did everything go?” I asked.
“The operation for her hip went well, but the doctor just told me she’s going to need tons of rehab and round-the-clock care. I was wondering when you could come to pick her up?” my brother asked.
“What do you mean pick her up?” I probed, confused.
“I told you. She needs someone to take care of her. I’ve been by her side our whole lives. It’s time you take responsibility, Brooke. I can’t watch her,” Stanley added.
“Excuse me? Responsibility? Mom sent me to live with our grandparents because she hated me, and you were her golden boy. She essentially abandoned me,” I snapped.
“Please. Stop the melodrama. You need to step up because she needs you. She gave you life. You owe her,” Stanley demanded.
“No. I don’t owe her anything. I needed my mother when I was growing up, and she refused. She gave all her love to you, so you will need to figure out something. I gave you money for her hospital bills out of the goodness of my heart, but I won’t be her caretaker,” I told him.
“YOU’RE HORRIBLE, BROOKE! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS? I CAN’T WATCH HER!” Stanley started screaming through the phone.
“Honestly, I don’t care, Stanley. You don’t get to call me horrible. I was a kid when she abandoned me, and my grandparents became my REAL PARENTS. Don’t call me again!” I finished and hung up the call.
Stanley tried calling, texting, e-mailing, and more for several days, but I blocked him. He also tried contacting my daughters, but they refused to listen to him. They knew my history with that side of the family.
Of course, Stanley and my mother bad-mouthed me to anyone who would listen. I have been severely judged for my decision, but I didn’t listen to their criticism. After all, no one ever judged my mother for what she did to me.
What can we learn from this story?
- Caring for your loved ones is important. While Brooke’s choice is controversial, it’s easy to understand her point of view, given her background.
- Forgiveness is divine. Sometimes, you have to be the bigger person. Caring for your parents when they’re old is a big duty, both financially and emotionally. Someone has to do it.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a mother who left her disabled daughter at an orphanage.
Meg Ryan took a break from acting to spend time with her children: This is her today…

Journey of Meg Ryan: Juggling Family, Fame, and Personal Development
Meg Ryan, who was born in 1961 in Fairfield, Connecticut, had a difficult childhood that was characterized by her parents’ divorce when she was a teenager. Her natural charm and talent, however, drove her into the spotlight in Hollywood, where she had memorable parts in classic movies like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.

Contents
- The Rise to Fame
- A Passion for Acting
- Navigating Personal Struggles
- A Heartfelt Expansion
- Charting a New Path
The Rise to Fame

Meg Ryan, widely known as “America’s sweetheart” for her attractiveness and affable nature, was soon accepted by Hollywood. She became well-known in the entertainment business by enthralling audiences in her performances. She made the decision to put her family over performing as a result of her significant accomplishment.

Her highly publicized romance with actor Russell Crowe, which attracted media attention and strained her personal life, had an impact on this decision. Ryan made the decision to temporarily withdraw from the spotlight and concentrate on her mothering duties in order to prevent more difficulty.
A Passion for Acting

Meg Ryan’s acting career began while she was a journalism student at the Universities of Connecticut and New York. Before obtaining her first acting gig in the film Top Gun, where she played Nick “Goose” Bradshaw’s wife, she dabbled in commercial work. Ryan and Anthony Edwards developed a real-life romance as a result of their on-screen chemistry.
Meg’s relevance in Armed and Dangerous was acknowledged by director Joe Dante, who noted that it helped Meg’s career progress. The actress called the connection she felt with Dennis Quaid right away a “bolt of lightning.” However, they had difficulties in their marriage, which eventually resulted in divorce after ten years.

Navigating Personal Struggles
Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe’s intimate relationship was the subject of rumors. Ryan emphasized that her husband’s infidelity had happened earlier than their connection with Crowe, despite these rumors. She felt the strain of the circumstance’s emotional toll.

Despite their divorce from Dennis Quaid, the couple continued to support one another in public. Their son Jack, who entered the entertainment profession with appearances in films including The Hunger Games, benefited from their effective co-parenting relationship.

A Heartfelt Expansion
Meg Ryan’s personal life saw dramatic upheavals at the same time that her professional career grew with parts in movies like When Harry Met Sally. In 2006, she added a 14-month-old Chinese daughter named Daisy to her household. Similar to her journey as a biological parent, Ryan discovered the adoption experience to be filled with love and connection.

Charting a New Path
Meg Ryan has withdrawn from the public eye at the moment to take a break from acting. Sources close to her, however, say that she is thinking about going back to Hollywood. One wants to see her abilities illuminate the silver screen once again as she nears 60 because of her everlasting beauty and charisma.
The path of Meg Ryan illustrates the fine line between family, fame, and personal development. Her choices, which are motivated by the desire for a meaningful existence and real connections, demonstrate her fortitude and dedication to a life of meaning. Ryan’s narrative provides as motivation for accepting change and pursuing one’s ambitions as we anticipate her eventual comeback to Hollywood.

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