Story Submission by Anonymous, Age 20
My story is fairly long, so long story short, almost as soon I was able to walk I noticed my mother’s resentment and what not against me. I did not really understand why, but as I grew older at around age 7 I was physically and verbally abused. From being made a ‘slave’ to do hard labour to house chores I was also withheld from food and only ever given left overs or very little at all. I was always hungry. At that age you don’t really question as to why you’re being treated this way, you just accept it as normal. But as I grew older I knew what was going on but I had no power to do anything about it. I feared my mother more than anything; I was not to speak, act or to do anything without her permission really, my very existence made her disgusted. This went on for many more years up until I graduated High School and moved out. Today in this moment in time I am struggling to reconstruct myself of the damage that my up-bringing has caused me; from anxiety, depression, lack of self-worth or esteem and many other issues.
Throughout high school I struggled to make friends and control my emotions such as anger. I never questioned it though I just thought I was just like any other kid except from the whole neglect ‘thing’. It was hard growing up to have no one beside you or to go to, to ask for advice or simply to talk to about things.
It wasn’t until I graduated from High School that I began to dig into myself, where I discovered all these issues that I have been carrying around, which have impact on the everyday things such as simply talking to someone or trying to concentrate on a single task at hand.
I am following medical treatment, and I have seen a great improvement but the road is still a long way to go, it’s hard to stay hopeful.
As everyday goes on I hope to grow and become stronger, I hope one day I will be able to look back at all of this and it will be a thing of the past.
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