AmoMama reports that Drew Barrymore did not know her mother was going to institutionalize her and would have run away if she did. Towards the end of her stay, the hospital suggested that she should emancipate herself at 14 as they believed she would be better off on her own. Her mother, Jaid, agreed. Per Showbiz Cheatsheet, Barrymore thinks her mother made this choice because she felt like she had no other option. In the end, Barrymore says she needed the discipline that the hospital provided her with and forgave her mother for locking her up. However, Distractify reports that after she emancipated herself, Barrymore cut contact with her mom and said it's the worst pain she's gone through.

She later told The Guardian that at just 14, she was living by herself in an unsafe neighborhood and was terrified. After decades of estrangement, in 2021, Barrymore announced on her talk show, "The Drew Barrymore Show," that she had reconciled with Jaid (via The U.S. Sun). She stated that there was now "peace and respect" in the relationship, something that was not there before. Moreover, Barrymore emphasized that her tumultuous childhood and relationship with her mother ultimately made her a better parent to her two young daughters (per the Daily Mail). According to People, Barrymore has empathy and understanding for her mom's choices now, as Jaid, who was born to World War II refugees, was also estranged from her parents.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCDj25pcmhfqb%2Bis8icZJ2dpJa2rb%2BMmpmoraRisbOx1maZmqqirrqwvsSsZKudnJbBqrvNrJ%2BiqF2strW0jKGcq2WdpMGpsdFo