With no support and dealing with physical and emotional problems, as a child my attitude was far from graceful. I didn’t emotionally equate or understand back then why I was so angry.
It would go on to take many years for my father to tell a close family member that underneath the exterior he always knew there was a kind and caring child, waiting to come out.
It's a shame he didn't talk to me about it. I know that with support I would have had some of those kind and caring traits he talked about, as those are exactly the traits I exhibit now.
Being kept in the dark on my physical issues meant my childhood would always be difficult. Emotionally I would always be angry. As the child, it's not always our fault, particularly if we're ignored, but as the adult, it’s our fault if we’re having a bad day.
It's also our fault if we don’t talk in a way that is gracious and conciliatory. We must always be gracious.
It is difficult to be gratuitous in the face of ignorance and abuse, but I agree it is important and I am working on it. It's kind of empowering but hard at the same time!
I couldn't agree more with you. Difficult to do, but empowering when we do. It is hard but with practice it does get easier. Just a shame we have to do it.