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Scattered Privilege with a Chance of Afternoon Hell
Owning your privilege is about self-awareness, not guilt.
You know something’s up when your mom keeps insisting you’re not abused. She gets defensive anytime one of those commercials comes on TV — the ones that list all the signs of abuse. As if a kid’s going to make a checklist right there. The commercial says things like, “Has your mom ever called you worthless?”
Well, not in those exact words. But tell me more…
In your 30s, you finally understand. No, that’s not what abusers do. They don’t call you worthless.
They just say your friends only play with you so they can steal your toys. And you should feel guilty for letting them.
They mention that you’ll never be cool like they were. So you might as well stop trying and just play by yourself. They don’t call you ugly or stupid. Just slice away at your self-esteem until you’re afraid to go outside, and start thinking of them as your only friend. That’s when they grimace and tell you to grow the hell up already.
See, it’s subtle. Your mom’s not an abuser. She’s a mean girl.
Most kids don’t want to believe they’re abused. They want to believe they come from a nice home.
