Hey Tom I came here to say I'm a fan of your beard, from the color gradient to the way it wears.

Then i saw the stuff with your mom, and as someone who has not talked to his parents in years i empathize with you. I know it is a tough ordeal when your own mother uses her love as a weapon against you.

Let them talk, you should not even give them the time of day. Maybe they'll eventually play nice when they see you are still happy (and bearded) despite their attempts to bringing you down with them. You seem like you have a nice full life, which is probably why you are the subject of their discussions. Envy is most certainly the underlying cause of the trash talking. Happy people let others live their life how they seem fit as long as they don't hurt anybody.

It's just my 2 cents, I hope you can find some solace in this post. In the end you do whatever you want to do. Just make sure you don't let anyone stand in your way to happiness.

Cheers

Days of growing my beard