You’re in the midst of an abusive relationship. Your self-esteem and confidence are so low you question every decision you make. You believe you can’t survive on your own without this man, so how you can you possibly leave?
But how can you stay? Every day you walk on eggshells, praying that today won’t be “too bad”, that he won’t hit you, won’t scream at you, won’t twist your words into something they were never meant to be.
You pray you can get through the day and all the many responsibilities you have without being under constant criticism about how you’re carrying out those tasks; how you can do this better or stop doing that or “let me show you how to do that right.” Because nothing you ever do is…right.
What is a true friend? Do you know? Do you have one? As I’ve observed some relationships the past few years – including my own – I’ve realized that the people we consider friends, aren’t always deserving of that title.
We blur lines between who says they’re our friend and who actually lives the role. I’ve seen this play out a lot with teenagers, especially. Not just my own teens, but my friends’ children as well.
I see grown women and teen boys and girls want so much to have friends that they will accept people as “friends” when they act like anything but what a true friend should act like.