As I've posted before, my mother isn't exactly "open" or accepting to my practicing witchcraft or following pagan beliefs. She continually tells me to put down my tarot cards and pick up a bible, yada yada yada (I hear it constantly). This is also the woman that gave me a very nice potted aloe plant and told me that she would let me have the pot that it was in because it was "earthy" (something small, but a little contradiction to the rest of what she does) and she knew that I "was into that sort of thing."
Well today was a new one... she was telling me about how they were in foreclosure for their house and looking at new homes, etc. At the end of her telling me about the new house they looked at and telling me how good God has been to them throughout all of this, she goes, "Say some prayers for us. Not those crazy Wiccan prayers, but good prayers."
I was speechless at first... I sighed... then I just told her that everything I do spiritually isn't to harm anyone, and that my beliefs or practices weren't "crazy" and that people all over the world from different religions pray differently... she didn't say much to me after that, just told me I needed to start believing in the Christian God again.
In a later conversation when we were talking about my husband's gay brother, she goes, "Your in-laws should be accepting, even though they are strict Christians, they accepted you into their home knowing you had tattoos and practiced witchcraft and are different than what they expected for their son." Sooo... my brother in law should be accepted for being gay, but I can't be accepted for being a witch/tattooed/different? Makes no sense to me mom...
I've been "out" of the broom closet with her for about a year now, and it's been hard. Even my in-laws have accepted me, and they don't try at all to push their religious beliefs on me. The only thing they ever said was one year, they sent us some stuff for Easter and asked if it was acceptable to do so since they knew we didn't believe in it. Then my father in law attempted to tell my husband that he needed to find God again... but those were the only two incidents where they ever said anything, and nothing has ever been directed at me. They don't try to change me, don't try to tell me what to believe, none of that. But my mother is a different story and it's driving me crazy!
Every time she brings it up, I just tell her I don't want to talk about it and try to get off the phone (we live 1000 miles apart, I've seen her once in the last three years) as politely as possible. She knows it makes me uncomfortable and she still insists on saying the things she says. I'm just getting really frustrated. She grew up in the 60's, was a hippie, had friends that were pagan, but when it comes to her daughter, it's a whole different story.
The thing is, she isn't saying enough or offending me enough for me to cut communication, that's not how I am, and I'm pretty used to being judged regardless... I just have nothing left to say to her on the issue, she refuses to be open minded and learn about my beliefs, and when I politely tell her this, I get criticized and told I'm going to go to hell if I don't change.
I want to pull my hair out
