tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1663680578112260744.post9146656689267758985..comments2024-03-13T08:18:08.922+10:30Comments on Catdownunder: Feeling comfortable in your own skincatdownunderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08189081688973141295noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1663680578112260744.post-73244763995650772572009-06-27T11:18:01.360+09:302009-06-27T11:18:01.360+09:30Thankyou Katy.
I think my father made the ultimat...Thankyou Katy. <br />I think my father made the ultimate comment on MJ last night when he asked, "Who's Michael Jackson?" (I am certain you would love my father - and I am happy to share him - but he knows nothing about modern 'pop' music!)catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1663680578112260744.post-55732144728285902132009-06-27T09:56:58.335+09:302009-06-27T09:56:58.335+09:30Gosh Cat, what an interesting post. I think there&...Gosh Cat, what an interesting post. I think there's a real paradox at work in some respects with regard to the "uniqueness" question. On the one hand as a society we claim to value uniqueness - talents, skills, gifts, abilities in whatever shape or form they come - and yet at the same time it is more often homogenity that we praise. I don't know if you've seen the film "American Beauty" but it captures and illustrates this tension very well I think. <br /><br />Your experiences of your mum and growing up sound very challenging. Of course as adults we can see - maybe we know! - that the issues your mum was expressing were everything to do with her (and perhaps her views?) and nothing to do with "you" as such. But the trouble is as a child we really don't know that: we blame ourselves and our lack of "perfection" for the unhappiness of the adult - and it takes our teeth (fangs?!) to be much longer indeed before we fully appreicate the truth of it and to have the strength and resources to carve our own opinion. <br /><br />My own feeling of being "different" as a child was different from yours, but I relate very closely to what you've said and I rarely articulate it as such, so thank you. My father died when I was 9 - just one of those terrible unpreventable things. But I burned with shame and humiliation for years because of it I realise now, and I think it did turn me against my own femininity etc for a long time - outside my own home, I just wanted to be invisible. Luckily, as also for you from what you've said here, the adult me finally strode into view, blew away the veils and sorted me out :-), but I remember the feelings all too vividly.<br /><br />As for MJ, I've never been a huge fan really so I'm surprised to find myself very moved by his death. I think he was rather a tragic figure in lots of ways. Perhaps his own inner adult was never able to emerge and rescue him.Katyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15333746085472824454noreply@blogger.com