How Family Members See You

COMMENT BELOW, I want to know. I was once told that the version of you people, like family, have in their minds is associated with when they had a large presence in your life. I moved away from my hometown area for over a decade, and it didn’t dawn on me how the lack of participation and witnessing the things that happened to me over those years would impact the version of me my family sees. It wasn’t until I had a challenging conversation with me Mom that it makes sense; my family only remembers me as who I was before I moved away. And who I am now, because of the life I’ve lived, is lost upon them. How do you navigate communicating to those who are close to you “who” you actually are? How have you addressed the discrepancy of who you are vs how others perceive you?