Hi there Emily, I’m sorry to hear that you’re dealing with this at the moment. Yes, sometimes people choose consequences that are primarily made to shame/hurt the person doing the thing, however not all need be like this. The type that Heather are describing can be about acknowledging that you did ...

Just to toss in a maybe-middle-ground to start with for this conversation, how about framing this as spanking at your age feeling like something that is not at all age-appropriate for you? After all, usually at this age, parents aren't toileting you anymore, and are allowing you more privacy when i...

Hi emily233, I think asking her today so there's not a big gap between the ask and your dad being home is a sound call! When it comes to having the conversation, one thing it can help to remember is that while things we say can certainly influence other people's reactions, it's ultimately their cho...

Maybe if your mom asks what you want to talk about, you could say something like "I'd rather wait until you're both here so we can all have just one conversation together." Do you think she'd accept that without pushing for more information? yea i think she'd be fine with that. Maybe i'll...

Abuse isn't anything that makes you unhappy. Here's a piece on our site that explains what it is in long form: Blinders Off: Getting a Good Look at Abuse and Assault . The tl;dr, if you don't have the spoons for the longer piece, is that abuse is when someone uses what power they have over someone ...

Hi there, emily. Often, when we grow up with people who abuse us, we learn to operate within the cycles and patterns of that abuse. We also -- understandably! -- are usually trying everything we can to placate those folks, or not disrupt whatever they want, because we know that doing so can lead to...

Hi emily233 and welcome to the boards-- we're happy you're here! Jacob filled me in on what has been going on. I am so sorry that your parents have been treating you in ways that are humiliating for you and that they have continued this behavior despite your attempts to talk to them. You deserve re...

Hey everyone, so I spoke to Jacob in chat about how to ask my parents to stop punishing me the way they do and he suggested i ask here. My mom's response is "if you act like a child you get punished like a child". And i'm not really sure what else to say to them. Idk how to tell them that ...