Self-Acceptance
Have you ever wanted to fit in so badly, you lose yourself completely? My desire for acceptance started as far back as when I was 7. I wanted the acceptance from my brother. I would beg to go fishing and hunting with him and my dad. My father always let me go, however my brother NEVER embraced the idea and teased me endlessly. By the time I was in the sixth grade, not only was I striving to get the best grades (just like him), but I was playing every “boy” sport there was to participate in. I became a tom boy and it was then that I started to lose myself. In the 7 th grade, I cut my waist length hair to my shoulders and after my father saw it, he wouldn’t speak to me for days. Little did I know the effect the two most important men in my life would have on me, by the age of 13, neither accepted me and that is when I believed I was not enough. I have dealt with countless men who have put me down, threatened, harassed, told me I'm not enough, sexualized me, treat