We own professional businesses in the same town. We used to be partners, but split ten years ago. She had an affair on my dad (step dad, but he's my 'pops') at that time, which was the last straw for me. But she's an undiagnosed BPD, married five times, engaged at least four more times than that, extremely defensive person. So by "last straw" I do mean I finally had enough.

Hoooooly we've had a strained relationship. For ten long years. She is, unfortunately, very typical of our worst BM's here. PAS, guilt, close ranks, ostracize, relational aggression... And she's greedy. Very. Very. Greedy. So many stories, but what's the point. As the oldest, she counted on me to raise my brother and sister while she hopped from man to man, across the bloody country. Five husbands by the time I was 17.

Anyway, last fall I said, hey, if you want to honestly try to have some sort of relationship, let me know. She said she did, but really nothing came from it. My sister's always saying our mom wants things better and implying I'm being difficult. I softened a bit. Just a bit - I'm a veteran SM so BM's make me wary. But we just keep our distance. Don't tread on each other, don't compete, just exist in the same city.

Well, I just fired a long time employee. With cause. She was insubordinate, lying, and breaking company policies. I received a call today from a regulator, asking me about a request to transfer my former employee's licence to another local office. I was stunned. Who would hire her? No one among our group would hire someone any of us had fired without checking first to see what went down - and everyone already knew I had let this woman go with cause - it's a small circle, everyone knows everyone. There's confidentiality issues, non-compete issues.... I can't say what it is that I do, but there are a handful of offices like mine where I live and we have professional standards we follow. Not so, apparently, if it's your daughter. Today I discovered my mother went behind my back and hired her. The regulator was stunned into silence. "Your MOTHER hired her? And you didn't know?"

Another lesson learned. A wicked BM's spots never change. Sigh. Even if it's your own birth mom.