Preloading

Two Sisters' Vastly Different Childhoods

Season 4 Episode 416
Aired on 05/13/2017 | CC tv-pg
As the oldest of six sisters, 35-year-old Shay says she had a dramatically different childhood than her younger siblings, like 25-year-old Marcia. The women may share the same mother, but as far as Shay is concerned, her mom's addiction and dysfunction resulted in her being raised by a completely different person than the mother who raised Marcia—and these different experiences have only complicated the misunderstandings that have been driving this family apart.

Under Iyanla's guidance, Shay and Marcia sit down to hash out their differences, and Shay talks about what she remembers from her sisters' infancies. "You guys got the handout and, honestly, in my opinion, the nice side of having a mother," Shay says.

Iyanla prompts her to open up to Marcia about what kind of mom she grew up with, and Shay says that her childhood wasn't "all bad days, but it was also rough." Shay recalls one painful memory in particular involving Marcia, when she was just an infant. Their mother, Alicia, was fighting over Marcia at the back door with someone else. "One had two of your legs; the other one had two of your arms. Literally stretching you. Mommy trying to prevent you from going out the door and [the other person] trying to take you. That's the kind of lifestyle I grew up on."

Shay says she also stepped into a maternal role for her infant siblings when Alicia would disappear from the house for days and weeks at a time. Iyanla then explains the big lesson these experiences taught Shay.

"You learned you can't depend on nobody," Iyanla says. "And that's wrong."

Iyanla's work with this family continues Saturday, May 13, at 9/8c.

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