Why My Mother Made Me Break Her Heart

By Urging Me to Move Far From Home, She Taught Me a Lesson in Unconditional Love

A spoiled child, I was flabbergasted and a little furious when, at the age of 5, I was told I could not live in my mother’s basement when I grew up.

“You can’t live here forever,” my mother insisted. “You have to leave.”

“You only live five minutes away from your mom!” I protested. “I can just live in the basement, and I can keep my husband and kids down there with me. I promise I’ll never leave.”

My mother just laughed at me. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But you can’t make promises …