E33. "Love Sounds" - How much should you let family with mental health issues into your life?

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!STORY SUMMARY: The story is from the perspective of a mother and her interest in what she believes is her daughter’s pending marriage. She has mental health issues that lead her to be temporarily institutionalized after the birth of her child. The daughter meets with mother from time to time, but provides very little information about her life. The mother continues to get worse until she is picked up by the police after an episode at a perspective wedding venue. The daughter later informs her mother that she got married without inviting her to the “small” wedding.DISCUSSION: The core question in this story is how much do you involve, or limit, a family member in your life who suffers from mental health issues? The mother isn’t a bad person, she just struggles. Is it more humane to simply cut her out of your life so as to limit the information and stress you cause her? Is it better to only interact with her on your own terms? Would you invite your mother to your wedding if you knew she might have an episode and become the center of attention? We are split, as podcasters, in what we would do. The story both plays into and mocks Jewish stereotypes, but at its core, deals directly with how we decide of level of support for family members with mental health issues.BOOK LINK: Download the accompanying short story here.MAGAZINE: Sign up for our monthly magazine and receive short stories that ask ethical and philosophical questions.SUPPORT: Support us on Patreon.FOLLOW: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook