I caught my mother stealing from my savings for 10 years

I opened a savings account at 15 with my holiday job money. My mother said she would keep the passbook for safekeeping. I trusted her, she is my mother.

Last month I needed money for my NYSC registration. I went to the bank and they told me the account had been dormant for years. I checked the statement and saw withdrawals every few months. Small amounts at first, then bigger ones. My school fees, my birthday gifts from relatives, everything I saved for years.

When I confronted her she said I should not be selfish. That she used the money to feed us when things were hard. I am 25 now and I have nothing saved. The hardest part is I cannot even be angry because she is my mother. But every time I see her I remember that she stole from me and I do not know how to look at her the same way.