Una-- I know what you mean. Stripped of some of the weirdness, was wisdom--For example I wanted my daughter against talking to strangers. She was definitely a tough woman--unfortunately she made everyone around her miserable. She would take the tram-- or whatever and stay over at my grandmother's nice house and help her clean and take care of kids for a few days every couple of weeks. Like clockwork, 2 days later a letter arrived in which she totally berated my grandmother from the children, to the fancy house she lived in. She was so vicious that my mother remembers my grandmother having to leave the letter by the door for 2 days, she was so anxious. After reading it she took to her bed for 24 hours. (which is a whole other story). My mother always told her not to read the damn letter, but my grandmother couldn't help herself.

The "moral" of that story is my safety in knowing that my mother would never ever do that to me. Thanks martha