I can relate to Cathy when she wrote about her mother's rough childhood and how she managed to escape it by becoming a whole new person with a positive mindset. My mother herself had a rough childhood just like Cathy's mother did; however, Cathy's mother picked up on addictions with drugs and alcohol. Cathy noted about her mother that "what did not kill her only made her weaker." Even though I can relate to Cathy and her memoir, I do not agree because the saying is "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and as a mother with a duty to love her children, she should not have to make her children question why their mother relies on drugs and alcohol to take the painful memories away. Thank you, Cathy for your story and your mother's past and I hope your mother realizes one day what damage she is causing.