How do people actually build a close bond with their mother later in life?
This sounds strange to say because me and my mom joke around a lot, laugh together, do normal family stuff etc but emotionally there’s always been this invisible wall between us. Like we coexist more than we connect.
I genuinely try to understand her perspective now that I’m older. Sometimes I even tell her directly that I understand why she reacts a certain way or why life made her like this, but instead of feeling understood she usually says I don’t understand her at all.
And that honestly hurts because I’m trying. I really am.
I don’t expect some movie-style best friend motherdaughter bond overnight, but I do wish we could talk without it turning into defensiveness, guilt, or misunderstandings.
For people who improved their relationship with their mothers later on, what actually helped? Was it communication? Distance? Patience? Shared activities? Or do some relationships just stay emotionally awkward forever even when there’s love there?
I feel like desi households especially normalize caring through responsibility but not necessarily through emotional openness, and sometimes it’s hard to tell whether the love is there quietly or whether the disconnect is real.