Neglectful Parents
Since I was a child, my parents have been very cold towards me. They can't seem to show affection or any love at all. I would categorize them as emotionally abusive.
I've never felt close to either of them. In fact, when I was nine and my brother was seven, they sent us to live with our grandparents in a city 12 hours away for no apparent reason. Being that young, you would think we wouldn't have been able to get on without them. But I don't remember missing them once. I barely even spoke to them on the phone, maybe a few times, and when I had to, I dreaded it. My brother and I were forced to move back home a year later, and I was so unhappy about it.
I can count the number of times my parents have hugged me and said "I love you" in my entire life on both hands. I'm 22 now, and have unfortunately had to move back in with my parents after three years away. I can't seem to move past the hatred and hurt I feel. My siblings are going through the same feelings and have their own ways of dealing with it. My brother spends his days smoking pot and playing video games. He doesn't seem to have many future prospects and barely leaves the house. I can tell he is depressed as well. My sister on the other hand buries herself in what ever she is currently obsessed with, be it work, school, yoga, etcetera, so that she does not have to deal with her feelings. It comes out occasionally as explosive anger, directed at whoever is unlucky enough to be close by.
I hate to admit it, but to this day, I feel envious when I see friends or family with loving, caring parents. I would cut off my left arm to have that.
I feel like the reason I'm uncomfortable showing and receiving affection from others and also sharing my feelings and emotions is because of the way I was raised. I'm trying to change this but it's really hard. Is there anyone else who has dealt with parents like mine? How did you move past it? I'm getting tired of dealing with the same issues over and over. Is there any way to forgive my parents and stop feeling so resentful?
I'm only 14 but there is... I've had like 3 sets of parents and they all showed me what not to do so Iguess be grateful you can learn from their mistakes.
I really understand how you feel. In my case, I hadto raise my sisters because my mother refused to do it. Ever since I was twelve I have had to do everything around the house as well as feed, bathe, study, and take care of everything my younger sisters needed. My mom is very manipulative and has kept me in this horrid environment for ten years. I had managed to move away but also had to return. I'm now trying to move back out but things look grim. Let's promise to not give up and keep doing our best. Let's forget about those bad memories of the past and live our lives free from our abusive parent's clutches.
