You might also want to get in contact with a local Catholic priest: he probably has way more experience dealing with that kind of situation than either of you, and your mom is more likely to take what he says seriously. You may have to shop around a bit to find one who isn’t too close-minded (I used to occasionally chat with a Catholic priest back at my university, he was pretty open minded and willing to talk about religion with an atheist and not get all preachy).
(This may require a reality check from someone who has experience on how Priests handle religious disagreement in a family—are they good mediators, or do they make things worse?)
I’ve found that authorities who share a philosophy with parents, have a fairly strong tendency to side with said parents. You’ll definitely want to do some “shopping around” if possible, but be prepared for it to turn around and bite you as an “intervention to save your soul” too.
Not to say it’s not worth doing, just be aware that there’s a risk it doesn’t work out as expected!
Yeah, that’s definitely a risk, but at least if the priest goes all “Let’s save your soul!” mode, Michelle can fight back without fear of damaging a relationship she cares about. Well, except if the priest’s strategy is to egg on Michelle’s mom into being even more annoying.
Another version of this is to offer to go talk with a priest/pastor yourself. One thing this does is to buy you time while your mom adjusts. If you find a decent one to talk with (iIf your church has one, sometimes youth pastors are a bit more open), the conversation won’t be too unpleasant (don’t view it as convincing them, just lay out your reasoning).
Your mom may be pleased that someone “higher up” is dealing with you. Also, when they fail to convince you, it helps her to let go of the idea that there was something more she could have done.
You might also want to get in contact with a local Catholic priest: he probably has way more experience dealing with that kind of situation than either of you, and your mom is more likely to take what he says seriously.
I recommend not doing this. Why on earth would you reinforce entrenchment in a power structure that is already antagonistic to your interest?
You might also want to get in contact with a local Catholic priest: he probably has way more experience dealing with that kind of situation than either of you, and your mom is more likely to take what he says seriously. You may have to shop around a bit to find one who isn’t too close-minded (I used to occasionally chat with a Catholic priest back at my university, he was pretty open minded and willing to talk about religion with an atheist and not get all preachy).
(This may require a reality check from someone who has experience on how Priests handle religious disagreement in a family—are they good mediators, or do they make things worse?)
(Anecdotal personal experience)
I’ve found that authorities who share a philosophy with parents, have a fairly strong tendency to side with said parents. You’ll definitely want to do some “shopping around” if possible, but be prepared for it to turn around and bite you as an “intervention to save your soul” too.
Not to say it’s not worth doing, just be aware that there’s a risk it doesn’t work out as expected!
Yeah, that’s definitely a risk, but at least if the priest goes all “Let’s save your soul!” mode, Michelle can fight back without fear of damaging a relationship she cares about. Well, except if the priest’s strategy is to egg on Michelle’s mom into being even more annoying.
Another version of this is to offer to go talk with a priest/pastor yourself. One thing this does is to buy you time while your mom adjusts. If you find a decent one to talk with (iIf your church has one, sometimes youth pastors are a bit more open), the conversation won’t be too unpleasant (don’t view it as convincing them, just lay out your reasoning).
Your mom may be pleased that someone “higher up” is dealing with you. Also, when they fail to convince you, it helps her to let go of the idea that there was something more she could have done.
I recommend not doing this. Why on earth would you reinforce entrenchment in a power structure that is already antagonistic to your interest?
This might be a really good idea.