Don’t Talk If You Don’t Know

The thing about families, that every ignores, is that they’re all complicated. Every family has issues, it doesn’t matter how “perfect” they come off on the outside. As a kid, I would look at other families and wish they were mine because I felt like mine was so messed up. I was right…my family is really messed up but you know what, I fucking love it.

When I was inside my mom, my biological dad wanted me aborted and when I was born he only visited me when he could bring friends along to show me off like I was some kind of toy. When my mom told him that couldn’t happen anymore he stopped showing up. I haven’t had my biological dad in my life for the 17 years I’ve been on this planet; I’ve only met him once and that was in 8th grade.

Since I was three, I’ve had my step-dad in my life. I’ve never once considered him to be my step-dad, he’s always been my dad until he really dropped the ball. About two years ago, he cheated on my mom and they broke up officially. It’s been a messy divorce. I don’t move back and forth between houses like my little brother does, I know it hurts him and is a constant struggle for him which kills me.

The reason I started specifying that he is my step-dad is because he proved he doesn’t care about me or my family. He got engaged without telling me to a woman he’d known for two months. Then forgot to invite me to the wedding and took on his girlfriends daughter like his own, kicking me to the curb. I lost all respect for him as a man at that point and choose not to have him in my life anymore.

The thing that bugs me is the fact that people pretend like they know you. They think they know your story based on the outside appearance of a situation, when in reality they known nothing because the actual severity is too deep for them to comprehend as the shallow human beings they are. I wonder why certain people find it necessary to talk about other people’s lives like they know the truth, but then I realize it’s because they’re too disappointed with their own lives. Those who do that are people I feel pity for, I can’t imagine hating your life so much that you see it necessary to talk about others.

I won’t lie or pretend the situation with my father didn’t hurt me. It did, it killed me and ate away at my self confidence, mental health and happiness for years but I have become a better person for it. I’ve grown up. I no longer allow issues with other people to damage myself. It’s something I am now able to move out of my mind and live with, without allowing it to hurt me. As someone who played the victim for almost their entire life, it feels amazing to stand tall and proud.

It’s important to be supported, but not by weak links. When it comes to situations or people who bring you down, quit fast and move forward. When you can consciously make the choice to remove yourself from a situation that is hurting you or remove someone whose doing the same that is how you know you have grown up.

Family Feud

 

So because I was 16 when my parents split, I was able to make the choice on wether or not I wanted to go back and forth between my mom and dad’s house every other week. I chose not too because first off that would be such a hassle and secondly, I’m not a fan of my dad after what went down with my family. My brother on the other hand was forced to do that. He’s been doing it for the last year or so and it never really affected me but I’m starting to notice some annoying habits my mom has been creating during the week my brother is here.

It seems like when he comes, it instantly becomes spoil Phoenix week. Like everything that we had planned or had going on is dropped to take him surfing or something. It really annoys me. My mom says it’s not as big of a deal as I’m making it because the week that he isn’t here, I get spoiled. I wouldn’t really say that’s true since my schedule basically stays the same week to week. Also there’s the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother clean something at my moms house, where as I get yelled at and loose privileges if I don’t clean the bathroom or something.

What it looks like to me, is that my mom is trying to get my brother to like her more than my dad. Which I don’t see how that would even be a question since he sucks but whatever, that’s my brothers prerogative. I think he just needs to stop trying to please both of them and think independently because he’s just scared to hurt my dad’s feelings which is dumb because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have any.