I am an oldest daughter. I have a younger brother. I feel like there's a special love for him that is not given to me. I thought becoming a parent would help me understand it. But I can't know because I only have two daughters. So I go to Words of Women and ask other mothers... and daughters to tell me if they feel this, if it's real. If so, is it biological, is it inherent? Is it internalized misogyny? Or am I just too sensitive?

Five women. Two therapists. One struggling daughter who is now a mother. This is what I've learned and probably all we'll ever know about the complex relationship between mothers, sons and daughters.

You either love her or you hate her...Twenty-four hours ago I posted a clip from a podcast featuring Meghan Markle. I didn't realize it would lead to chaos. The Duchess of Susscex, it turns out, is about as divisive as Israel, Palestine, JK Rowling and all the other things we dare not talk about. But why? What makes her so divisive? I opened up an open forum Zoom and got four women and a therapist joined. I wanted to hear their views. See if they could change mine. What it turned into was a conversation about where our judgements come from, what it really means to have a platform, why we hate or love the people we do and everything that's so much more than Meghan and her chickens and blooming flowers.

“I feel I'm very sane about how crazy I am.” ― Carrie Fisher

Am I manic? Am I crazy? Because I feel fine. I feel better. Now that I feel good. Now that I'm chatty and awake and feeling back to being me, the new narrative is I'm manic.

And the past few nights, when I couldn’t sleep, I wondered if everyone was right. If I'd lost the plot. If my life was headed towards that image of Frances Farmer being carried away to the asylum.

So I start talking to women. I read more about Frances Farmer and her arrest and forced institutionalization. I talk to my therapist, then another therapist for this episode.

My conclusion: If you ask for too many people’s opinions, if you start opening yourself up to judgment and advice, you will start to lose sight. You will get confused and insecure and wonder if everyone's right and you're wrong.

Episode discusses: Mania, Jk Rowling, Frances Farmer, SSRIs, Crazy Labels and the other impossible stigmas of being a woman.

Thank you Dr. Sara Marchon, LCSW, DSW for your professional advice and wisdom. If you are looking for a therapist and enjoyed Dr. Marchon, check out her services at https://drmarchon.com/