Originally Posted by
Ms.TimmyV 
I carried two children, and that's when I realized I did nothing to deserve any of that. I could never treat my children the way I was treated, and that really helped. I believe in myself more and more every day, and if I was still in contact with my family that would never have happened. I don't know about you, but my family has a unique ability to strip any shred of self-esteem or confidence that I could muster. I'm glad it's getting better. It might sound weird, but I feel like I'm finally growing up at the age of 35.
This, too, is so true of my experience. It was as my children got older and I saw the stark contrast: What my parents were willing to do and say to me vs. how I treated my kids and what I would never dream of doing and saying to them.
Parenting my own children finally allowed me to see how abnormal my family was.
I, too, have felt like I'm finally the confident adult I always thought I would magically become at 18 or 20, only now in my late 30s/40s, after having walked away from my family.