Dear Abby: My mother and I don't have a good connection.

Never was I "allowed" to be a kid. She's been under my care for as long as I can remember since she won't get older.

The photo didn't include my father. I expected her to modify her way of life as I got older and moved out, but she never did.

I have to continuously put my life and my goals on wait in order to meet her requirements.

She is an alcoholic, unable to hold down a job, and believes that because she has been a wonderful mother, it is now time for her to "live for herself."

My fiance and I are attempting to start a life of our own, but I am unable to do so since I am preoccupied with thinking about her all the time.

I'll always love her and consider her to be my mother, but I can't go on living like this. What ought I to do? — Changes being made in South Carolina