A mother who says to her child, “I gave up my life for you,” is speaking nonsense. In basic terms such a mother believes, no matter what she says, that she did not have that much to give up, and the “giving up” gave her a life that she wanted. A child who says, "I gave up my life for my parents and devoted myself to their care," means "I was afraid to live my own life, and afraid to let them live theirs."