If you’ve had a complicated childhood chances are you’ve been told you’re too sensitive. Maybe you’ve been called a worry wart, a crybaby, impossible, annoying or been told, “I’ll give you something to cry about!” You may have learned how to swallow your hiccoughing tears, ignore your terror. Maybe even now as an adult you face eye-rolling or ridicule when you try to speak up for yourself.
I’m sorry that happened.
Maybe you’ve tried to get stronger (and if you got through a childhood like that, you’re already strong) and learned to steel yourself before visits and holidays. You’ve learned not to respond when you get told you have “no sense of humor” because you don’t laugh at the name calling and so-called teasing. You’ve tried to ignore the boundary crossing for the sake of peace and quiet. You’ve learned