My mother was the farthest thing from affectionate, my parents were divorced so my father wasn’t around that much when I was growing up.

I’m not sure “gentle” is the first word I would use to describe myself, but as an adult I’ve dedicated my life to adopting animals in need. Generally it’s hard to build trust with an animal if you do not have a “gentle” side.

Maybe it was the animals who taught me how they wanted to be treated, but I can sure as hell say it wasn’t my mother who taught me how to be warm and affectionate.