Beautiful writing and pretty photos, Doro. My mother was like your mother for most of my life, but somehow, in the last 8 years, she has become the opposite of narcissistic. I'm not sure how this transformation occurred, but it did, for whatever reason, at age 70 (she's 78 now), and I'm very happy about it. Don't let your mother destroy your self-confidence. You don't need that crap. I know, easier said than done, of course.