Jean spent her life wishing to see us, her children, but continuing to struggle with her mental health this was denied. What was I told of all of this? That she was unwell, damaged and couldn’t look after her children. Not much more. I remember feeling angry and scared of the spectre of a mother who was sick, didn’t care, and fretted about my own mental health of which my struggles came to pass. My foster family and social services continued an intergenerational pattern of focusing on my symptoms, and my significantly difficult behaviours and not the underlying trauma I was oozing in my inability to regulate my emotions.
– Jamie Crabb
Re-shared here with Jamie’s kind permission: Her name was Jean: International Women’s Day 2021
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