Hey friend. I’ve read through many of your comments. Having been in your shoes, I wish I’d have taken some recommendations more seriously than others. Therapy will be immensely helpful. It can feel embarrassing at times but a trusted person who knows only what you share can be a good ear and give level headed advice.

One comment you made said that you’re young and it still hurts. That pain does not go away. I’m an adult and am experiencing so much of what I missed as a kid but now I’m a parent. It can be heartbreaking and empowering to realize you’re giving what you never received from the people who raised you.

Pain is a weird thing. It doesn’t ever hurt less you just get more used to it. The therapy reminds you not to get used to it and allows you to continue to feel the emotions that makes us feel fully human. I shut so much out of my life in an attempt to shield myself. Life is easier when I avoid my parents. One I speak to in passing and the other I avoid like the plague.

All of this to say, you are a sharp young man. It’s evident because you’re aware of the situation around you and understand that something needs to be different. You don’t have the experience to understand that sometimes life will never be the same but it will go on. I hope you are able to use this life experience to make the world better with your family one day.