My mother did everything in her power to prevent me from seeing my father after they divorced. But once my dad tricked me on the phone, and everything changed.
“I don’t want to see you ever again!” my mom yelled as my father got into the car and left our home forever. That was my earliest memory. Dad left when I was two years old after a huge fight with my mother.
They got divorced, and I didn’t see him for many years. As I got older, I realized that my mother was preventing me from seeing my father. “I want to visit Dad. Please!” I begged when I was ten years old.
“No! You can’t go see him. He’s busy with his new family and doesn’t want to see you,” she replied.
“I know that’s not true! You’re lying to me! I talk to him on the phone, and he wants to see me!” I cried, pleading with her to see my father.
“Don’t talk back to me, Alexandra! Your father left us and doesn’t deserve to have a relationship with you now,” Mom said. I thought that was unfair, but I was still just a child.
My dad and I kept in constant contact over the phone, but I really wanted to spend time with him, and I knew he wanted the same. However, Mom was an expert at getting her way.
As a teenager, I decided to go on my own to see him, and she called the cops on me. They picked me up before I could reach his house and drove me back home.
“The next time you try to disobey me, I will say that your father kidnapped you, and he will go to jail where he belongs!” she screamed at me when the cops left.
Back then, I thought she was doing the right thing for me, but as I grew up, I realized that it was pure selfishness on her part. I didn’t want to hang out with her or do anything. I also started rebelling at school. She drove a huge wedge between us, and I didn’t care anymore.
“Alexandra, do you want to go shopping with me?” she asked me one day. I was 17 years old and had grown to almost hate her.
“Nope,” I answered.
“How about the movies?”
“Nope.”
“Why don’t you want to do anything with me?” she whined.
“Really? You’re asking me that question? You know exactly why I treat you this way,” I said in a bored tone.
“I have done nothing to you! All the sacrifices I have made for you, and you’re so ungrateful!” Mom yelled once more.
“Yeah, ok. Close the door, please,” I added.
By then, I was immune to her tantrums and how she victimized herself to get away with things. I moved out as soon as I turned 18 and never looked back.
But seeing my dad wasn’t any easier. I had to work two jobs and go to school. He was also busy with work, and his second wife had just delivered twins by then. Neither of us had time, so we put it off.
I met with him on a Saturday afternoon at his house and met his wife. They showed me the twins, and we talked for a while. But it felt so awkward that I didn’t want to do it again. Maybe my mother had ruined any chance I had at a relationship with him.
We talked on the phone for a long time once a week. I asked about the twins and told him about my life. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked for us. Years went by this way. I didn’t hear of my mother until I was 29 years old.
“Hey, Alexandra,” she spoke on the phone tentatively.
“Oh, hey, Mom,” I answered, confused with her call.
“We haven’t talked in a long time. How are you?” she asked.
“I’m fine. How about you?” I replied. We chitchatted awkwardly for a few minutes, and then she got to the point.
“Listen, honey. I was hoping that we could work on mending our relationship. How does that sound?” Mom wondered.
“I don’t know. Are you going to apologize for everything?” I retorted.
“I…I still don’t think I did anything wrong. I was trying to protect you from being hurt like I was when you were little. But I understand that you felt differently,” she explained.
“So, you’re not apologizing?” I continued, tired of this conversation. She was never going to acknowledge her wrongs, and I had no time for that.
“Alexandra! I’m your mother. You haven’t talked to me in years! You’re so selfish!” she wailed, raising her voice.
“Ok, goodbye,” I said and hung up the phone. She tried calling me back, but I ignored her. I would not let her back into my life until she apologized.
Another year went by, and I received a strange call from my dad. He never called during working hours. “Alexandra! This is an emergency! Can you come to see me?” Dad said urgently through the phone.
“What? Dad? What’s going on?” I asked, worried.
“I sent you an address. Come quickly! This is a matter of life or death!” he told me and hung up.
I went to my boss, took a day off work, and ran to my car. But the address Dad gave me took me right to an amusement park close to his house.
“Hey, honey!” he smiled when I met him at the front gate.
“Dad! Why are we here? What’s the emergency?” I asked, confused.
“The emergency is that you and I never got to do all the fun things father and daughters do over the years. We have put off building a real relationship, and I don’t want to waste any more time. Let’s go have fun!” Dad explained.
“Can you go on the rides? I know you have had some health problems lately,” I said hesitantly.
“I’m fit as a fiddle. Come on!” he urged.
We spent the entire day at the park and talked about everything. I felt like a child for the first time in my life, and it was wonderful.
I also told him about my problems with Mom and how hard it was when she didn’t let me see him. “Your mother is complicated and full of pride. But she’s not evil. We didn’t work out, and she couldn’t take it,” he started.
“Yeah, I wished I could’ve lived with you,” I told him.
“Well, I was pretty lost for many years trying to figure things out. We might have hated each other. But here we are, and I think you should patch things up with her. Life is too short to hold grudges,” he said.
After that marvelous day at the park, we went to dinner. When I got home, I called Mom and told her everything I felt regarding my dad. How she hurt me back then by not letting me spend time with him and how fun our day had been. She cried and apologized to me for the first time. I felt like she understood, and we started talking more often.
Meanwhile, I grew closer to my dad and loved babysitting my twin half-siblings. We even took them to the amusement park for a fun day too.
I finally had the childhood I always wanted.
What can we learn from this story?
Divorce happens between couples, not with children. Alexandra’s mother didn’t understand that her father divorced her but wanted a relationship with their daughter.
Life is too short for grudges. Alexandra’s father is right. Sometimes, it’s better to forgive for your own sake. Let go of things that make you angry, and your mental health will improve.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
You Won’t Believe How Grown-Up Meryl Streep’s Kids Are Now!
Meryl Streep is one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood. She’s had a long career and has been amazing in many movies.
In her personal life, Streep is also a dedicated mom to her kids. Now that her children are grown up, you might be surprised when you see how much her oldest daughter looks like her.
Meryl Streep is known for her acting but keeps her personal life private. She started gaining fame in Hollywood in the 1970s. During that time, she was in a relationship with John Cazale, whom she met while doing theater.
When they met, Streep was 27 and Cazale was 41. He was well-known in acting circles and was friends with stars like Al Pacino, who admired him.
Streep and Cazale fell in love when they worked together on Shakespeare’s play “Measure for Measure.” They moved in together in Cazale’s loft in Tribeca and enjoyed a few happy years while both pursued their careers in entertainment.
Sadly, everything changed in May 1977. Cazale became very ill and had to see a doctor urgently. He was diagnosed with lung cancer, which had already spread to other parts of his body. The doctors said his condition was very serious.
After John Cazale got very sick, Meryl Streep trusted only a few people with the news. Al Pacino was one of them and even took him to some of his doctor visits. In March 1978, Cazale had to go to the hospital and passed away shortly after. Streep stayed with him the whole time.
When Streep told Cazale’s brother about what happened, he asked her to leave Cazale’s apartment right away. Streep didn’t have anywhere to go, so she called her brother Harry for help. He connected her with his friend Don Gummer, who was in Pakistan at that time. Gummer let Streep stay in his apartment, and they started writing letters to each other. Eventually, they fell in love and decided to be together.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer got married in 1978. They’ve had a happy marriage for over 44 years, which is rare in Hollywood. Gummer is a sculptor, and he’s proud to support his talented wife.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer have four children together. Their oldest is their son, Henry Wolfe Gummer, born in 1979. He’s an actor and musician who is married to Tamryn Gummer, and they have two kids.
Their second child and oldest daughter is Mamie Gummer, born in 1983. She started acting when she was very young and appeared in her mom’s movie “Heartburn” in 1986. Later, she had a small part in her mom’s famous movie “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Following her mother’s path, Mamie Gummer is now an actress. She has been on TV shows like “The Good Wife,” “Emily Owens, M.D.,” and “Elementary.” Many say she looks just like her mother.
Meryl Streep’s third child is her daughter Grace Jane Gummer, born in 1986. Like her famous mom and older sister, she’s also an actress. Grace has performed on Broadway and won a Theatre World Award for her first Broadway show.
She has been on several TV shows like “The Newsroom” and “American Horror Story: Freak Show.” In 2021, she married Mark Ronson, the DJ known for his hit song “Uptown Funk.” Recently, they shared they’re expecting their first child.
Meryl Streep’s youngest child is Louisa Jacobson Gummer, born in 1991. She’s 31 years old and an actress too. After doing theater for a bit, she starred in the show “The Gilded Age” with Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon.
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Meryl Streep’s four children have all pursued careers in entertainment, just like their famous mother.
It’s wonderful to hear about Meryl Streep’s children and their accomplishments. Share this article with other fans of the actress so they can discover more about her family life!
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