Birthday Wishes

Dear Alisa and Gina,

My parents (they’re elderly) forgot my birthday…again! I know they’ll feel bad when they figure it out. (That’s what happened last year.) Should I say something? ~ Forgotten

You say you feel that your parents will feel bad. But how do YOU feel? Sometimes, we spend so much energy worrying about the emotional life of other people we forget to deal with our own. I want to know how it makes you feel? Do you feel badly they forgot you or worried about their health since they’re aging? Are you anxious that something might happen to them before you get remembered? Or something else? I suggest you try to sit with the question and see what comes up. Once you have a bit more of an answer, you may be very clear about what to do. ~ Alisa

Oooh, this is good. No, don’t say anything. The next time they try to make you feel guilty, you’ll have ammunition. ~ Gina