If you have ever watched the hit Disney movie Tangled and thought “Man, Mother Gothel is crazy,” then wait until you hear about my story.
Growing up, I could have anything I wanted. I had toys, I had commodities, and I had family. However, as I got older, my home became a cage. I wasn’t allowed to go out with friends, I wasn’t allowed to stay at my friend’s places, and I was made to go to events that I didn’t want to join. I was forced to become a girl that was not me, rather I was an idea that my parents made so that they could be proud of me.
In the outsider’s perspective, my life was perfect. I was comfortable, I had money, and I had my wants, but my life wasn’t mine. It reached the point that when my parents figured out that I had my own opinions and beliefs they changed their attitude towards me. For hours I would be pushed around, demeaned, insulted, and ashamed for being “different” in their eyes. It would get worse by the days until it reached a breaking point. In summary, they were planning to destroy my future and take me out of university and force me to drop out of my STEM degree. Since I wasn’t allowed to drive on my own and I lived an hour away, all they had to do was not take me to campus. I almost had no control over my own future. However, I had friends who helped me leave my home and give me shelter until I could stand on my own.
If you have seen Tangled, then you know the scene where Rapunzel was ecstatic in one moment then terrified in the other. Granted, I still am going through that stage, but that is exactly what it was like. In the first week, I learned what it was like being able to decide when I could leave the front door, what I wanted to do, and where I could go. Leaving a toxic home was the best decision I could make.
I wanted to write this article because I know that there might be some readers out there at home going through the same thing. I know what it is like being demeaned for a mistake, being told that you cannot make your own decisions or being your own person. I am here to tell you that you are strong and capable. You can get through this because it is temporary, and they do not have the power. You are the only person in control of your life, and you are the only person responsible for your own future. Always put yourself first and never look back. It is hard and incredibly daunting, but sometimes we have to struggle for the sake of taking the reins ion our own life. If you are a reader going through this, you are not alone.