Milo Week 10: Both Sides of a Rusted Coin

 Both Sides of a Rusted Coin

Instead of writing about one of my favorite video games, hobbies, or movies, I decided to write about something a little closer to home this week. Literally. For the last week, I promised myself that I would sit down and write something meaningful. I landed on writing about my mom’s and dad’s houses and how living in two different houses impacted me growing up. I’m not going to dump a bunch of trauma in this blog because as much as I’d love to write every single essay about the abuse I went through as a kid, it’s just not the type of cheery stuff you put in a blog post for high-schoolers to read. (Usually. If you’re reading some weird screwed-up teen trauma drama blog, in which case, please send it to me.) Instead of trauma-dumping, I’m going to talk about my childhood, which might sound synonymous to those who know me, but it’s not; shut up.

My mom’s house has always been in a gated community, and it’s been a safe environment for me as I grew up. My mom made dinner every night, and I always was picked up from school. At my dad’s house, we lived in cramped apartment after apartment, and I didn’t have the luxury of living in safe neighborhoods as I did at my mom’s. People who have always lived in safe communities or who don’t have divorced parents might not understand this, but jumping multiple times a week back and forth between comfortable and dangerous situations can be a lot for a young lower schooler to process. 

Despite hating it at the time and wanting nothing more than to get out of where I was, get away from who I was with, and escape my life completely, I think now it’s shaped how I interact with the world and the people around me. I hate the terminology “your trauma made you stronger,” because it enforces the belief that trauma- specifically childhood trauma, can toughen kids up. While I’m not appreciative or thankful for what I went through, I am thankful for how I handled myself and everything I know now. I can take the bad experiences and learn from them, helping me mature and grow. 

I don’t mind any comments sharing things you’ve been through or questions about what I have, but please keep everything respectful. <3




Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 15, 2022 at 10:55 AM

    I actually grew up with a situation similar to yours, except when my parents divorced it was my mom who was switching from apartment to apartment and my dad living in a gated community. I can totally understand how difficult and stressful it is growing up having to switch between households multiple times a week. Thanks for sharing.

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