Parental Non-Guidance
Part of growing up involves having some sort of guidance to help overcome the obstacles life can throw at you. The idea of the parental role is that they have the experience and the wherewithal to make correct decisions and lead the younger generation into a better tomorrow. The fact is, it really does take a village to raise a child.
For some children, however, that is not the case. Some children grow up abandoned or even ignored by their parents and it results in a chaotic mess of decisions later down the line.
It’s tough to accept yourself when the people who created you see you as a stain on their reality.
Dawson, an LA writer, shared his experience of growing up and living with mentally unstable parents.
He opens up about his parent’s abusive habits and how it has shaped his character considerably.
As a result of this trauma, Dawson views everything critically and feels like he must overthink things every second.
“I’ve been writing since I was old enough to spell, it is at the core of who I am as a person. I always joke that I write my tangled experiences and feelings into straight lines…which is why I write so much about my personal experiences from abusive relationships. It’s self-reflection and catharsis and storytelling and poetry and sharing.” Dawson said.
He clearly had a lot to face during his early days. It’s very admirable to see him share his experiences so openly since he hopes to bring as many people together who have struggled with mentally ill parents.
Dawson has made sure that his words carry through with honesty, sincerity, and with love.
“The sharing is important to me. Sometimes people write to tell me how much something I wrote impacted them or clarified something for them and that’s one of my biggest goals in my writing…for people to know they aren’t alone. Lonely as life can be…we’re out here. We’re surviving. And sometimes…that’s all you have to do. Stand up and say “I survived. You can too.” That’s the best I have to offer, I think,”
Already people have shared how much Dawson’s story has touched their hearts. The power of storytelling has once again helped shaped lives more positively since it reaffirms the message that these people are not alone in their endeavors.
Dawson tells of the many times he notices minor nuances in the little things that occur around him all the time. For instance, he goes over times that you can likely notice something other people don’t like your friend who didn’t notice they cut you off four times in the conversation, or even your brother who’s music was too loud while you were studying.
It’s paying attention to this stuff that makes life hard.
But Dawson proposes a new solution: do not respond to subtext. Part of it includes guilt-tripping, silent treatments, passive-aggressive behavior, etc. He insists that the best thing he ever did was to establish direct, to-the-point, communication and categorical denial of subtext.
“For some people this is a moral stance. For survivors of mentally unstable parents this is a requirement of recovery.”
Many people are happy that Dawson has shared his story.
He has given them hope and inspired them to have a little faith in overcoming their trials. After all, if he can do it, then so can everyone who’s got the will and determination to see brighter days.
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