Originally Posted by
Florence 
what we consider a "strong woman" is someone who has been burdened with responsibilities and pain outside of her control and somehow kept it together. In other words, trauma. A lot of trauma.
Sh*t yeah. YEAH YEAH YEAH! I am borrowing your quote Florence. Love it.
I presented at a stillbirth/neonatal death conference a few years ago. I spoke about the idealisation of "the STRONG woman". About how, in my experience of western culture, it's not a comfort to bereaved parents/people to tell them "OMG you are SO STRONG!" or "I don't know how you do it, or "If I was you I'd not be able to cope" etc etc etc. Platitudes. And insulting. They'd cope. The Universe/God/ a higher power doesn't "choose us" to deal with this crap because we are "so strong" and therefore can deal with it.
We keep it together because we
have to. We have no choice. If we don't keep it together the only way out is more dysfunction, more hell on earth or even worse...
I'm just putting one foot in front of the other and breathing.
I hate it when people tell me I am so "strong". Want to slap them. I am weak and human just like everybody else.