Chapter 54: School Changed My Life

I often reflect on my childhood and think to myself, “I shouldn’t be here. How did I make it?” Growing up in my household was not always easy. My parents married and had children at a young age and in my opinion, they were not prepared to be “grown-ups.” I describe my home life as chaotic but that is putting it gently; screaming, yelling, and ‘whoopins’ were commonplace for little to no reason.

This experience is difficult to write about for many reasons. I love my family and believe they did the best they could, so I do not want to portray them in a negative light. Additionally, it is difficult; opening up old wounds because the pain still runs deep. I take pride in being a strong and independent woman, so this level of vulnerability and openness is hard to share. But if I am going to keep it real, I will say that growing up in my household was awful at times. I still vividly remember screaming to my father around age 10, “I wish I was dead!” This happened in the midst of my parents’ first divorce from each other. I am thankful to be alive today and feel like I have had so many amazing opportunities and blessings in my life, but I did wish I was dead many times as a child and adolescent. No one knew that at the time, but now everyone does.