Parenting in Two Directions at Once | Growing Up Early & Caring for the Mom Who Raised Her

For The Hayters: The Stories We Survive · Apr 26, 2026 · 47m

TW: parental abandonment, complicated grief, dementia, caregiver burnout, complex family dynamics.

Danielle was raised by a single mom with a disability in the same small town as the father who chose not to be part of her life. Now she's parenting her own daughter while becoming a caregiver for the mother who raised her — who's living with dementia. This conversation is about growing up early, grieving a door that never opened, and learning to love in two directions at once.

Interview, narration, and editing by Becky Hayter, with post-production, scripting, and sound design by Emily Nadal…