I am old enough to understand them and still feel hurt

Dear Delyara, That is one of the most adult griefs I know. I understand them more now. Their history. Their limitations. Their fears. Their own emotional illiteracy. The conditions that made them who they became. And still, I can walk away from conversations with them feeling misunderstood, smaller, or tired in a way that has nothing to do with the practical content of what was said. Understanding does not always dissolve injury. Sometimes it simply makes the injury more complicated to hold. That is where I am with them now.