When TikToker Bridget (@bridgetgoes) was 16 years old, she found out her mom was going to prison. At the time, her older brother had woken her up and told her that he needed to go to the hospital because their mom was in a car accident.
She didn’t really know what was going on because she was still groggy. She also didn’t realize how bad the accident was. She was mostly thinking about who would take care of the dog if everyone was gone, so she decided to stay at home.
Then, she went back to bed.
When she woke up again, her brother was gone. She let the dog out, fed the cat, and fell asleep again. Soon, her brother returned and woke her up. She could tell something was wrong.
“So, he took me into our spare bedroom, and he sat on the bed, and I sat on the floor,” recalled Bridget. “And my brother was so mature with the way he delivered this news. He looked at me and said, ‘Mom did something very terrible.”
“She did one of the worst things anybody could ever do. It was selfish. It is not my fault. It’s not your fault, but it’s going to affect us and follow us for the rest of our lives.'”
Bridget had no clue what her brother was talking about. She was racking her brain, scrambling to come up with an idea. She did not see her mom as a bad person at all. She viewed her as a business owner and a single mother, and she looked up to her a lot.
She had to beg her brother to tell her what was going on. He didn’t really want to because he knew it would change her world drastically.
Finally, he revealed that their mother had driven drunk and killed two people.
Bridget immediately knew that her mom was going to prison and that high school was about to be rough for her. To this day, Bridget feels extremely guilty about the people who were killed and the families who have to deal with the deaths of their loved ones.
“Every time I get sad that my mom is not able to be there for me or she missed an accomplishment or something in my life, I feel terrible guilt because at least I get to tell her what happened,” said Bridget.
“At least I get to talk to her. At least we get to have phone calls. They don’t get that, and I feel so terrible about it.”
Her mother is still in prison, and Bridget doesn’t know when she will be released. Now, she’s warning others never to drive while intoxicated because someone will get hurt.
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By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
