Almost Okay

Trigger Warning: Emotional abuse, childhood trauma, family conflict This work can be difficult to read for people who have been emotionally neglected or had controlling parents. Be gentle with yourself when reading.  I've always felt like writing this—not for pity, but because sometimes the weight of not-saying anything feels too much to bear. Perhaps someone somewhere grew up like me, learning in silence that love could hurt and family could scar you deeper than strangers ever would.  My parents never struck me. But their words struck me. Their silences struck me. Their expectations cut so deep they left invisible wounds that still throb. 1. Love That Came With Fear When I was a kid, I believed all families were the same as mine—shouting arguments ringing in the walls, my mother sobbing in the kitchen, my dad bellowing from the hallway, and me standing there shaking, acting as if I wasn't present. They would call me in to their brawls, even when I was still a kid. I had to be...