04-30-2016, 06:37 AM
Definitely.
I was raised with some hardships of my own, but to me that was just life as I didn't have a basis of comparison, and therefore shrugged over it (of course I could get upset at times or lash out, but those were just moments). And many kids shunned me (many of whom I suspect were encouraged by their parents to do so as they knew how crazy my parents were), and I found it easiest to relate to kids with a similar background. And just as those of a different background pushed me away, we tended to do the same to them because of mutual misunderstandings that could've been avoided had we not made assumptions about each other based on our point of views that had been shaped by our experiences.
I've been a homeless runaway, and that's just one of the things that will shock people if I share it. But while I was on the streets, I met those who had it much worse than me, who had endured horrendous physical and sexual abuse, and it was too easy to experience more on the streets, that while others feel shocked and horrified by my experiences, I feel lucky (for the most part). I was aware I had problems and challenges, but I saw many others had it even worse. And since I didn't get to know that many who had it better, I felt lucky in comparison.
I often don't even talk about those things anymore, which can make me quiet, and raise questions (for example, as I was a homeless runaway who came of age on the streets, I never attended school dances or the prom, and I also got a GED instead of a high school diploma) because to me it's not a big deal, but it is to others.
And my current partner visited my extended family once and is afraid of them. I'm not. Sure, they have guns everywhere (it's a rural farm, they're more for varmints and hunting), and they have tempers (and I've gotten into physical melees with a few of them, even as an adult), but I'm not scared of any of them shooting me down, not even by accident. Heck, me and my older male cousin used to get into all kinds of scraps as kids and we're close today (though we rarely interact due to distance and that he's not on the internet). But they scare others when I just shrug.
That said, there are moments I have where I get depressed, but it never lasts long. One reason for that is when I do, I make myself vividly recall being a kid on the streets and what that was like for me, and I soon feel better about everything I have now.
I was raised with some hardships of my own, but to me that was just life as I didn't have a basis of comparison, and therefore shrugged over it (of course I could get upset at times or lash out, but those were just moments). And many kids shunned me (many of whom I suspect were encouraged by their parents to do so as they knew how crazy my parents were), and I found it easiest to relate to kids with a similar background. And just as those of a different background pushed me away, we tended to do the same to them because of mutual misunderstandings that could've been avoided had we not made assumptions about each other based on our point of views that had been shaped by our experiences.
I've been a homeless runaway, and that's just one of the things that will shock people if I share it. But while I was on the streets, I met those who had it much worse than me, who had endured horrendous physical and sexual abuse, and it was too easy to experience more on the streets, that while others feel shocked and horrified by my experiences, I feel lucky (for the most part). I was aware I had problems and challenges, but I saw many others had it even worse. And since I didn't get to know that many who had it better, I felt lucky in comparison.
I often don't even talk about those things anymore, which can make me quiet, and raise questions (for example, as I was a homeless runaway who came of age on the streets, I never attended school dances or the prom, and I also got a GED instead of a high school diploma) because to me it's not a big deal, but it is to others.
And my current partner visited my extended family once and is afraid of them. I'm not. Sure, they have guns everywhere (it's a rural farm, they're more for varmints and hunting), and they have tempers (and I've gotten into physical melees with a few of them, even as an adult), but I'm not scared of any of them shooting me down, not even by accident. Heck, me and my older male cousin used to get into all kinds of scraps as kids and we're close today (though we rarely interact due to distance and that he's not on the internet). But they scare others when I just shrug.
That said, there are moments I have where I get depressed, but it never lasts long. One reason for that is when I do, I make myself vividly recall being a kid on the streets and what that was like for me, and I soon feel better about everything I have now.
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