I’ve always been the kind of mother who has encouraged my daughter to “stop and smell the roses.” Together we take in, admire, and enjoy the beauty we see in the world around us. This comes naturally to me. What doesn’t is encouraging my daughter to take in, admire, and enjoy the beauty of her own appearance.

Despite spending the past three years in regular therapy and trying my hardest to give my daughter every ounce of support she needs, she has continued on a path that is both upsetting and frightening.

For far too long, my mother has commanded too much of my attention. My mother has a narcissistic personality. If it doesn’t feed her ego, it doesn’t matter to her.

My daughter is beautiful. She excels in her classes. She possesses an understanding of people that isn’t common in high schoolers. She is a fierce friend. Loyal. Trusting. Kind. She is a peacemaker, a bridge builder, a shining light in a sometimes dark world.

She tells me she feels invisible.

As I sat in a bed about to deliver my baby, hoping for the anesthesiologist to come quickly, or even more than that, to have a mother there to tell me that everything will be ok.