One Ticket to the Gray Havens, Please: Marais’s Story

  CC image courtesy of Pixabay, Animus Photograpy. HA note: The author’s name has been changed to ensure anonymity. “Marais” is a pseudonym. My pseudonym is Marais. I am 17 years old. This is what happened to me when I was 12-14. I was part of a not-very-well-known homeschool group called Regina Coeli that was part of a bigger religious

Mirror Blindness: Alex’s Story

I don’t know when I started trying to ignore everything about myself.

It must have been early in my childhood, but the further I look back, the blurrier the memories get.

I’m Alex, and I spent twenty years being raised in a radical Roman Catholic homeschool community.

The Day I Ran Away: Charlie’s Story

Editorial note: Charlie blogs at Blind Horse Girl. Charlie is a pseudonym. I remember being eleven years old, writing my mother a letter that was telling her I was running away. This was less than six months after my father had passed away, and a few months after we joined a church that I consider even to this day is both

Socialized but Sheltered: Emily DeFreitas’s Story

Socialized but sheltered is the phrase I’d use to describe my state when I entered college. I knew how to communicate with people. I had enough social skills to get by, but I had been so underexposed to new people and ideas that I would be shocked and confused quite a bit during my first year. Academically, my transition into

If I Could Wave a Magic Wand: Arachne’s Story

“If I could wave a magic wand and erase the past, I would. Trust me. In a heartbeat. I think about it over and over. What would I have been like if I’d had a decent education? If I hadn’t been abused and controlled by the people who had total power over me, where would I be?”

Growing Kids the Abusive Way: Auriel’s Story, Part Five — The Aftermath of Childhood Abuse

“The effects of the abuse don’t leave… Among us 5 kids, 4 have been suicidal, 4 have been in counseling, 3 have depression, 2 have run away multiple times, 2 have distorted eating and body issues, and 2 have self-harmed. And yet my parents still do not see what they did as traumatizing! If these incredible effects don’t convince them, then nothing will.”

Growing Kids the Abusive Way: Auriel’s Story, Part Four — The Sound of a Sewing Machine

“I spent so much time trying to catch up on missed time for school. After hundreds of hours, I was never paid a cent. It broke at least 7 child labor laws in my country. Nevertheless, I was a passionate abolitionist. Through speeches, and human trafficking cases, I poured my soul into the hope that someday slaves would be free, even as I was a slave myself.”

Growing Kids the Abusive Way: Auriel’s Story, Part Three — Mini-Parents

“For both of my parents, I served as a surrogate spouse. I mediated their fights, hoping they wouldn’t escalate to violence. They would come to me as their confidant. Dad would complain to me about Mom, sharing his quandaries, wondering how to deal with her. He even consulted me as to whether he should divorce my mom when I was 14, or if he should take her to a psychiatric hospital when she was suicidal.”

Growing Kids the Abusive Way: Auriel’s Story, Part Two — Isolation and Ideology

“Through HSLDA and my parents, I learned that foster homes are terrible places that abuse children by burning their hands on stoves, and more. Well, it worked. I didn’t call hotlines, tell the speech moms who cared about me, or beg my few friends for help. When CPS showed up at our doorstep, my siblings and I lied for fear of being separated from each other forever.”

Growing Kids the Abusive Way: Auriel’s Story, Part One

“My parents were abused as kids. They perpetuated the cycle with us. With their first child, my parents discovered Growing Kids God’s Way by the Ezzos. True to the teachings, my parents controlled our hearts with fear, and later taught Growing Kids classes to dozens of families over the years, and taught me the classes to use on my younger siblings.”