Memories are hard. I remember my birthday, probably my 10th. Of course, we had to spend the day with my NM’s BFF, who was just as cruel as my NM, and her kids. The day was awful. We had to go shopping for school clothes (my birthday is at the end of August). I did not want to do this, but I never had any control over what I wanted to do vs. what NM wanted me to do. The day was fraught with tension – body shaming, especially for my younger sister, who always had a weight problem. On this particular day
September 4, 2025
I remember learning about “fight or flight” in school. Probably around 6th grade? Anyway, the school lesson felt very familiar. It was how I felt all the time. Always prepared for the sudden rage over nothing. But it was often violent, with me being verbally abused, sometimes physically abused, threatened