Dear Captain Awkward,
After a three year-long battle with a rare form of cancer, my Mom passed away a few weeks ago. Don’t worry, Team Me has been assembled and regular doses of Chinese food, dark chocolate, Monty Python, and silent horror films have been, and continue to be, implemented. Now, however, begins the hard part of getting back into daily life without her and informing/dealing with everyone else. They are all lovely and well-meaning people, but fielding their well wishes is exhausting, and the origin of my problem.
Mom, who is my mother in all of the really really important ways, is not my biological mom. The story behind it is very long, but the cliffnote version is: abusive step-father, police get involved, Biological Mother takes his side and uses my personal diaries against me at the trial, Dad and wonderful step-mother (Mom) sweep in to take in my sister and I and pick up the pieces. Mom is Mom, and nothing will change that.
