Katie’s Childhood
Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends,
Over the weekend I had time to delve more deeply into my Katie character as I cleaned my kitchen cabinets. My daughters had come for a visit, and we sat in the living room laughing and sharing stories about their lives. As I watched them, I thought about how grateful I was to have this incredibly loving family. After they left, I felt an emptiness, a sadness of time gone by—their baby cries, their smiles, the constant noise and activity—that’s when I decided to get out my soap and rags and get to work.
Katie grew up as an only child—the focus of her parents’ critical eyes and judgments. She was supposed to be like them and want what they wanted. She was taught to sublimate herself in order to please them and not incur their wrath—just their distain for never being good enough or smart enough. They recognized her physical beauty and trained Katie to marry success in order to gain self-worth—at least she could do that right. Katie wanted their love more than anything and always tried to please them but realized that, too often, it was impossible. She spent time alone in her room. She learned to accept loneliness and developed her own fantasy world. She began to believe that there had been a mistake—that when she was first born, the hospital gave her to the wrong parents—What a mix-up! She didn’t belong in this mansion filled with everything except love—and at some point, she would be rescued by a loving father like in, “A Little Princess,” one of her favorite books—as she grew and realized that she was not going to be rescued by a loving father, she turned her ideal into a knight-in-shining-armor. She knew, as long as she was patient—her mother always said, “patience is a virtue”—he would rescue her, and they would have the perfect life together. She would sacrifice herself for him.
Thank you, my Priscilla Bennett Friends, for listening and for all your support for my cause. Please visit my website at www.priscillabennett.com and read this blog, make a comment, write your own story and get helpful information. Remember the Priscilla Bennett Pledge to help someone by starting a conversation, giving a kind word in the grocery store or parking lot—a touch on the shoulder or pat on the hand with a nice cup of tea. Remember that we all have SOMETHING TO BE BRAVE FOR.
Take good care of yourselves,
PRISCILLA BENNETT XOXO