Growing up, I watched my mother closely. She was the kind of woman who seemed to carry the weight of everyone’s problems without ever complaining. She took all the hurt, all the insults, and all the neglect people threw her way. It baffled me. Why did she keep tolerating those who treated her so poorly? People who were unkind, who were selfish, and sometimes downright cruel. And yet, there she was, day after day, giving them her time, her energy, and her love.

As a child, I couldn't understand it. I would watch her and think, Why doesn’t she stand up for herself? Why doesn’t she fight back? The people who claimed to love her were the ones who hurt her the most. And still, she gave and gave. She never let her love for them fade. And I swore to myself, When I grow up, I will never be like her.
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