What is the hardest part about surviving a bad childhood?
I made it to adulthood somehow. I'm a few months away from being 27. I survived a bipolar Dad. When you have a bipolar parent it means they hit you. A lot. I was able to survive that, and now I'm a normal adult.
For me the hardest part of all this is never getting the full closure. My Dad thinks he was right. He doesn't want to be held accountable for hurting me. He gets mad when I post about my abusive childhood. I will have to deal with the memories my whole life. The helpless feelings. He gets to pretend it never happened.
Anonymous2019-11-20T11:05:29Z
Comedian Chris Titus says "when the **** hits the fan, screwed up people know to step to the side of the fan." Having hardships gives you confidence, self-reliance, problem solving skills, and other qualities many people don't have but want. However, for the sheltered you come across as arrogant or even dangerous for not needing to be babied. And it leads to this cycle for you both where you feel isolated and rejected by society whereas society needs your abilities.
It can be easy to get trapped in a god complex, manipulating everyone, or else a punky nihilism. If you dare, you can learn to speak their language and initiate the sheltered to come out from behind their eyes when they are ready to beat around the bush in asking you to.
You can't forgive bad parenting in my opinion. You have one chance as a parent and if you screw up that is it. If you want to forgive him that is fine, if not just learn from it and give your children the childhood you know they deserve. You are a strong, wise and nice person because of your experiences.
The hardest part about surviving a bad childhood is letting it go and forgiving one's parents. Well, it's not hard, but it's the thing we least like to do.
Your dad no doubt had a difficult childhood himself.