US EditionDear Annie: I’m exhausted from telling everyone I’m fine
After nearly 20 years of silence, the daughter seeks advice on setting boundaries and finding support following childhood abuse and disinheritance by her family.
- On Nov 25, 2025, Annie Lane published a Lifestyles letter from the letter writer, the family's longtime 'strong one,' who cut contact in her 40s and found she was disinherited after her parents' deaths.
- The writer traces the estrangement to childhood abuse, noting she experienced physical, verbal and emotional cruelty from her mother and lived in fear from about age one.
- The estate details show that the writer's sister replaced her as executor, sold the family home, and the writer learned of the parents' deaths through public records, lacking strength to contest.
- She says her emotional resources have been depleted as the writer reports exhaustion from pretending she's fine, feeling invisible, and being haunted nearly two decades later.
- Practical steps include setting boundaries, speaking up, asking real friends for support, and working with a therapist, Annie Lane advises the writer to move forward.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Dear Annie: I was betrayed by my family after cutting off contact
Dear Annie: My parents, especially my mother, were abusive throughout my childhood physically, verbally and emotionally. I lived in fear from the time I was 5 years old. I worked hard, stayed out of trouble and built my own life without asking them for help, but my mother still treated me with cruelty and favoritism toward my younger sister.
Dear Annie: Abusive parents, greedy sister, and a lifetime of pain
Dear Annie: My parents, especially my mother, were abusive throughout my childhood physically, verbally and emotionally. I lived in fear from the time I was 5 years old. I worked hard, stayed out of trouble and built my own life without asking them for help, but my mother still treated me with cruelty and favoritism toward my younger sister.
Dear Annie: I’m tired of pretending I’m fine all the time
Dear Annie: I’ve always prided myself on being the strong one in my family. The listener, the peacekeeper, the one everyone calls when something falls apart. But lately, I’ve realized I don’t have anyone who checks in on me. When I try to open up, people quickly turn the conversation back to themselves or tell me to stay positive.
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