Dear Abby: When I was a child, my mother – a bipolar schizophrenic – abused me. At 12, I decided I had have enough of her mental and physical abuse. A family friend helped me to leave and be placed with my father. I am now 35 and haven’t seen my mother since then.

A few years ago I wrote her a letter. In it I included pictures of my children, saying I would like her to know her grandchildren. She ripped the photos into pieces and sent them back with a note telling me to leave her alone and that I had “made my choice in life.”

Last month, I received a letter from her saying she regretted destroying the pictures and would now like me to send more and she could meet us all. She also asked me for $6,000. She claims I “know” she never abused me and that she isn’t mentally ill.