Dear Annie: My three brothers and I are all senior citizens, and throughout our lives we have endured a very difficult relationship with our mother. From the time we were children, she was physically and emotionally abusive. She controlled us, manipulated us, lied to us and often gaslighted us.

Now that we are adults with families of our own, she has essentially cut us out of her life because we no longer comply with her demands or conform to her expectations. Her love has always been conditional, and every act of kindness seemed to come with strings attached.

Despite all of this, we truly loved her and hoped for a better relationship. Recently, I reached my breaking point. I wrote her a note explaining that I needed to step back for a while. I tried to express that I wanted a relations

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