• LAUNCH YOUR DREAM
  • BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
  • STARTING OVER MIDLIFE
  • HAPPINESS THROUGH ACTIVISM
  • TRAVEL THE WORLD
  • GET HEALTHY & FIT
  • BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • BRAVE LIVING
  • WRITE WITH US

8WomenDream

Dream Big Stories

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONNECT
You Are Here Home » WRITE WITH US » Dreams of Writing: Confessions of An Undutiful Daughter

in WRITE WITH US

Dreams of Writing: Confessions of An Undutiful Daughter

Last updated on June 25th, 2012 at 12:41 pm

Confessions of An Undutiful Daughter

My dream is to write a book that combines my irreverent take on toxic moms with interviews from others who agree that cutting family ties can be often the sanest option.

Because, really, in a world where taboos have lost all their shame isn’t being an “undutiful daughter” just about the last thing to which anyone would admit?

Now I know that might sound a little grrrr, a little mean, but only because you don’t know me yet.

Nor have you met my mothers.

Yes, mothers.

I’ve got three, which means I’ve got material, honey.

Take, for example, a telephone call I received one beautiful summer morning a couple of years back. It just so happened that I was on-call as a volunteer law enforcement chaplain, which required me to answer my phone on the first ring. To hear the reedy, elderly voice of my mother  was a shock. Not to mention, how did she get my unlisted home number?

What kind of mother was she? Well, she took me everywhere with her. Especially to her boyfriend’s homes or smoky bars, where I was left at the curb locked in her turquoise Chevy Impala with a cotton pillow slip to embroider.

The grammar school me sat eye-to-eye with the glove box gazing up at telephone lines slicing the blue sky or down at my sewing. Hours of looking up and down super charged my hair with static electricity from the plastic upholstery. It’s why so many my childhood photos show me as if I just came in from a storm.

So, you can imagine how close my mother and I were.

Indeed, after decades of no contact my mother missed me. She wished I would call her more often.

“Tell you what. Let me call you right back. That would be two conversations in one day,” I said before I hung up.

But I didn’t hang up with a bang like I used to. I took my time checking in with dispatch . Then I suited up for my day of community service, slipping my clerical collar tab into the left cup of my serious black bra, so I wouldn’t forget the most important thing I own.

Then I sat down to return the oddest call I could remember.

When I was a newspaper reporter I wrote obituaries and covered metro stories that included so much pain and sorrow. As a chaplain I am trained to be a silent support to those suffering sudden loss. The combination of those activities, plus maturity had put me in a different place about my mother.

I realized that my mother, who stumbled through my life with a tumbler of cheap wine swirling and swishing on furniture, carpets and dogs, held no sway over my emotions other than triggering concern for a lonely elder.

If she hadn’t called I’d never have known that my mother had lost her power to make me feel like a frightened, confused child.

In a way I was grateful to her.

She said she’d like me to visit her. Coincidentally I had been practicing saying no, so I told her, “I really don’t see that happening.”

That shocked her, but I was okay with that. I knew I was right to protect myself.

Maybe you’ve felt that way, too . . .

This book idea crawled out of an emotional cauldron of shame and guilt I tended for the first half of my life. Now I’m counting on your clicks, your comments, even your scolds to help me write Confessions of an Undutiful Daughter.

Rayne

Rayne Wolfe completed her dream journey May of 2011 on 8WD after a year living her dream. You can find her at Toxic Mom Toolkit on Facebook.

Related Stories:

  • the girls I want to save
    Confessions of a South African Beauty Queen
  • Customize-Your-Speech-to-connect-featuring- kelly-swanson
    Confessions from a Motivational Speaker on How to…
  • Creative Writing Week Banner
    Are You Ready To Use CreativeLive Writing Week To…
  • toxic-mother-eating-habits-quote
    Can You Let Go of Toxic Eating if you are a Daughter…
Contributor Dream Stories

Enjoy this special 8WomenDream Guest Contributor story submitted by new and experienced big dreamers throughout the world, edited and published to capture a dream perspective from different points of view. Do you have a personal dream story to share with 8WomenDream readers? Click here to learn how to submit dream big articles for consideration.

Note: Articles by Guest Post Contributors may contain affiliate links and may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.

Filed Under: WRITE WITH US

Some of the posts on 8WD contain affiliate links or links to purchase products or programs from 8WD contributors. This means 8WD or the contributor may make a small commission if you make a purchase. The 8WD affiliate links help offset the cost of hosting this website and the contributor links help support the dreams of the contributor. Please check out the 8WD Legal Page for more details.

Thank you for your continued support!

« Warning: Get Too Close And Miss The Big Picture
Dream Achievement Is Stalled When We Resist Change »

Check it out

  • LAUNCH YOUR DREAM
  • BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
  • STARTING OVER MIDLIFE
  • HAPPINESS THROUGH ACTIVISM
  • TRAVEL THE WORLD
  • GET HEALTHY & FIT
  • BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • BRAVE LIVING
  • WRITE WITH US


The 8WomenDream Dream Tote Bag

About the 8WomenDream Tote Bag
US – 10oz Cotton
Dimensions (External Dimensions)
• Height – 18″ (45.72cm or 457.2mm)
• Width – 15″ (38.1cm or 381mm)
Handle Dimensions (Internal Dimensions)
• Length – 29″ (73.7cm or 736.6mm)

Recent Dream Stories

  • 8 Solstice Traditions for Focusing on Your Big Dream this Year
  • Winter Solstice: What Will You Do With 1 Minute More?
  • Why Halloween Costumes Can Help Discover Your Big Dream
  • How the Equinox Can be a Catalyst for Change
  • 5 Strategies to Live Your Wildest Dreams
  • Starting Over as a Single Mom Wasn’t My Big Dream
  • Warning: Big Dream to Be a Motivational Speaker Won’t Always Obey Your Plans
  • Dance to Relieve Stress to Focus on Your Big Dream

Inspiration

More About 8WD

WE BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS THE POWER TO ACHIEVE BIG DREAMS.
 
IT IS OUR SINCEREST WISH THROUGH THE SHARING OF PERSONAL STORIES ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO TRY TO ACHIEVE A BIG DREAM THAT WE WILL INSPIRE YOU GO AFTER A BIG DREAM TOO.
 
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT 8WOMENDREAM, HERE.

8 WOMEN DREAM | COPYRIGHT All RIGHTS RESERVED © 2025 · LEGAL

Welcome to 8WomenDream Where Big Dreams Are Shared
The 8WomenDream website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're OK with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. ACCEPT REJECT READ MORE
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT