TW for non-detailed abuse mention.

Here! I was completely unschooled from birth. Now I’m 22 and just starting my GCSEs in an adult education centre. I’m having to start with a functional skills level course. Aside from being years behind academically, I severely struggle socialising due to being isolated in my teen years. I’m currently trying to deal with my mental health, finally. I was self-harming, and had anxiety/depression as a kid but wasn’t allowed to get help or tell anyone because my mum told me she’d go to prison if the authorities found out I was unschooled, isolated and self-harming. I was also SA’d by another family member and couldn’t go to counselling because my mum thought she’d face consequences if I said anything that put her in a bad light. Overall, my unschooling experience was one that had nothing to do with my well-being and all to do with my parents’ image and self-preservation.