I dreamed I was living at my stepmom and dad’s home again. In real life I had been like a live in baby sitter to their 3 children while they left all the time, it was a traumatic place to live, but at the same time, she was like a mother to me, looking out for my health and wellbeing, but she would change regularly and yell and demean and verbally assault us all. In this dream she found me again and asked for me to move in for a while. She made it sound like she wanted to spend time with me. I wanted that, a family who wanted to be with me. But within a few hours, she was once again leaving like in the past. She had 3-4 young children I’d be looking after. She said she’d be back in a few stays at first but then realized it would be much longer. She had friends with her. She gave me one of her friends baby’s as well to watch while they were gone. She also gave me packages to mail for her and for her friend. She was telling me all I needed to do and fill out in order to mail the packages. I was feeling overwhelmed and walked off, but they ignored my feelings. Her friend’s baby really liked a few animals there at the house, like a kitty cat. They were gathered outside about to leave. Some of her other friends had a few children too that they were taking with them. I saw that the trash cans were almost full outside. I asked when the garbage company would pick them up. She said it runs on Wednesday but that dad would take the garbage to the end of the road. Then she said that he wouldn’t be back until the 8th on the month, and it was now the beginning of the month, so I would need to take the trash to the end of the road. It was quite a distance and I realized how heavy and difficult it would be to do that. I was trying really hard to be kind and polite, but on the inside, I felt used. I realized she didn’t want to be with me, she once again just wanted a baby sitter. I prepared dinner for myself and the children and was doing dishes.
This dream seems to reflect your deep-seated emotions and experiences related to your stepmom and the time you spent living with her family. The recurring theme of feeling used, neglected, and taken advantage of suggests unresolved feelings of hurt and abandonment from that time in your life.
The dream may be highlighting the conflicting emotions you have towards your stepmom - on one hand, longing for a sense of family and belonging, and on the other, feeling hurt and disappointed by her repeated behaviors of leaving and not fulfilling her responsibilities as a parent figure.
The task of looking after multiple children and being burdened with responsibilities (such as taking out the trash or mailing packages) in the dream may symbolize the overwhelming and caretaking role you felt forced into in real life. The emotional weight and difficulty you feel in these tasks could represent the emotional toll it took on you to constantly care for others without feeling cared for in return.
Preparing dinner for yourself and the children in the dream may signify your ability to prioritize self-care and nurture yourself despite challenging circumstances. It shows a sense of resilience and independence in a situation where you may have felt unsupported and undervalued.
Overall, this dream may be signaling the need to address and process the unresolved emotions from your past experiences, find closure, and work towards healing and self-compassion. It may also be a reminder to set boundaries, prioritize your own well-being, and seek out healthier relationships that genuinely support and nurture you.