Are we responsible for taking care of the people in our family? How do we manage the resentment we understandably feel when the needs of loved ones interfere with our own lives? I felt invited to think seriously about these issues while watching "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," the film by Peter Hedges about a young man working in a small town while taking care of his dramatically sick mother and his mentally handicapped brother. Gilbert wishes for his own fulfilling life while also feeling responsible for those in his family.
Many of us feel conflicted about whether to take care of our own needs rather than nurture family and friends - even though it is painful for us to juggle issues about self realization and our obligations to loved ones.
Knowing the situation of gilbert grape helps us to apply his difficulties to our personal lives when the needs of others diminish our own......my family is aching but I have my desires as well.
As a clinician, it is important for me to coach you as you manage a family crisis involving clashing interpersonal demands; as a realist, it is also important for me to recognize the impossibility of doing so. My writing will be a success if it motivates you to recognize moral questions as you seek answers of your own.
My best to you as always.
Patty