Story Time:

In today’s livestream, Greg said, “The worst thing you can do is make a woman’s life too easy,” and that hit close to home.

The man I grew up calling my dad was prior military. After he got out, he became an over-the-road truck driver. (I put “dad” in quotes because I found out about a year ago that he isn’t my biological father.) For those who don’t know, OTR drivers can make really good money—but they’re usually home only about 8 days a month. So while he was providing and earning well, he wasn’t around much.

During that time, my mom ended up getting pregnant by another former Army guy—who was married and had kids. Seventeen years later, we found out he had another child born around the same time as my sister. Yes, he cheated on his wife and got two other women pregnant at the same time.

On the surface, my mom had an easy life. She didn’t have to work. Bills were paid. Car taken care of. Hair and nails done. Bingo money three times a week. Everything looked comfortable. I know I'd be angry if I'm out here busting my ass to be betrayed that way.

Some of y’all who’ve been in Locals for a while already know parts of this. I’ve recently forgiven my mom, but forgiveness doesn’t mean pretending things weren’t wrong. I can call her actions what they were—and I’ve also chosen to keep my distance now.