Because you've gotta have faith.

In one short conversation with a 17 year old who happened to be extremely drunk my perspective on life changed.

Said 17 year old happens to be my younger sisters boyfriend. He is turning 18 on Thursday so Happy Birthday to him. I bought him a bottle of Jim Beam and a card because he's such a lovely kid he deserves it. I have a slight feeling I won't have his mothers approval of alcohol being purchased for such a "young" person, but, fuck her. It's my gift and I will buy what I like.
Anyway, he was retrieved from a train station after a party by me recently and we got talking about kids relationships with their parents, in particular, his relationship with his own mother. Now keep in mind on Mothers day he spent more money on my mother than his own.
His own, apparently calls him nasty names in public, bullies him into going to church most, if not all Sundays by ensuring that he will feel crap about himself if he doesn't go even if it is just to please her. Now don't you think that might be a bit of a lie in God's eyes? Going to church purely for the sake of pleasing your mother I mean.

Personally, I have hardly gotten along perfectly well with my own mother over the years but at no point in time has she ever made me feel so horrible about myself that I legitimately wish I didn't live there or that I didn't have to force the words "I love you mum" out of my mouth every night.

She is so caught up in people being so, well, what she perceives as perfect that she isn't capable of just appreciating what she has and honestly I feel a bit sorry for her. Incapable of acting as though she loves her own children because she's afraid that someone will judge her because they missed a day of church- never mind the fact they don't believe in religion at all, got a foul at basketball (she shouted out that her son was an idiot, not once, but twice in front of at least 40 other people, including his girlfriend and her parents), or had a little bit too much to drink at a friends 18th. Now, if my child did all those things, and I hope they do, then I will congratulate them, because everyone will be imperfect in someones eyes, and if that's the worst they do then I fucking hope someone congratulates them.