I know you and your mom have a long history of things happening like this. I'm so sorry.

I do know that if my boss had requested my presence at something, it would be tough for me to tell him "sorry, I can't go". Sometimes when you work for a living, try to raise a child or children, and balance everything, it's hard to do. Thankfully, I haven't had to miss too many things in Helen's life, but there have been a few (including her birthday last year, as I had to be out of town).

I hope things will get better.