Grief is a messy and complicated thing we all have to go through at some point. It’s rarely something that someone can get over in a matter of months or weeks. It’s a long and winding road, with low lows and the capacity for high highs. 

While the maxim «there’s no wrong way to grieve» can be true, there are undoubtedly unhealthy behaviors associated with grieving that can have highly detrimental effects on the people around the bereaved. This story checks all the boxes for said behaviors. This man’s entire life has been defined and controlled by his mother’s grief of her 2-year-old daughter, who passed away while she was pregnant with him. She never celebrated Christmas or his birthdays because, to her, it would mean nothing without her daughter around. Now that he’s all grown up and having his own daughter, she is trying to make it all about her daughter.