You know where you stand on the topic and you know where your son stands - this doesn't mean that you can't have a strong relationship once one of you makes the first move 🙂

The crux of the matter in the dynamics between my son and myself is it takes two in order for it to work. I had a similar dynamic with my dad for years. He couldn't accept many of my decisions (I tend to exacerbate many with my ways lol). I tried reasoning with him that my decisions were none of his business as I wasn't asking him to shoulder any negative repercussions that could arise from my decisions.

Yet he wouldn't stop with his cutting remarks, which grew more cutting with time as he grew to seeming despair he could not live my life for me. I finally cut him off to the dismay of some of the family. We went ten years without speaking. My stance was it was easier to love him from a distance.

He finally came to understand his relationship with me was more important than trying to be my dictator and he made an effort to reach out and apologize. The last few years of his life we got along swimmingly for which I was glad. However, I was prepared to never speak to him again as I deserved better than his abuse. That dynamic would insist I have no free will and am little more than an extension of his will and intent.

I've reached that place with my son now. He was the one that disengaged because once again I wouldn't roll over and acquiesce to his desires and insulting manipulations to achieve such. In my eyes the burden now rests with him if he is willing to hold a relationship of mutual respect between us. The burden on him now to reach out if he desires such. I won't waste my time in such and am willing to love him from a distance as I did with my dad and go the rest of my little time left without speaking again. A relationship with him is not worth abuse and being a second class individual, which is what he would and has been demanding. It can only work if we both see one another, not only my seeing him.

In the case of the Covid injections, I understand the views are opposite, and as such I never bring up my concerns regarding them with him since that initial disagreement years ago. The only reason it was brought up in this case was my despair over my financial situation (still not having a job and bills rolling in) which he initiated in asking me how my move was going. It all could have been so much smoother if he could have respected my position and just said something along the lines of, "I'm sorry your having such a hard go of it. I'm sure given how focused you can be something will break in your favor soon." Anything but a lecture, lol. Especially if he wasn't prepared for my rebuttal as he is smart enough to know would be coming.