There’s a certain guilt that’s been injected into the bloodstream of many Iranian kids — a quiet but relentless kind. The kind that kicks in when your parents are upset with you, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. It feels like being summoned to the principal’s office, heart pounding, stomach turning, no matter your age. You grow up learning to scan the tone of your parents’ voice like a radar — is something off? Did I do something wrong? Are they disappointed? That anxiety settles in your bones. Sometimes, just hearing my mom’s voice feels like bracing for the worst news in the world. Some parents hurt you when they’re well — with guilt, with manipulation, with their own unresolved pain. And when they’re sick, they still hurt you — this time through the weight of your worry, the sorrow you carry for them. It’s a cycle that’s hard to name and harder to break.
The Little Popcorn.