So, few of you may know that today is Autism Awareness Day. Fewer may know that I have a sister with severe profound autism. A while ago I did an audio doc for college and I’ve decided to share it today. It’s about my sister, Rachel, and her little world. https://t.co/jR6wDCVS8M
a friend of mine started dating this guy everyone said was “protective.” he’d pick her up, drop her off, always wanted her location “just in case.” at first it looked sweet. then she stopped coming out with us. she’d say, “he just worries about me.” then it turned into, “he doesn’t like when i wear that.” then, “he doesn’t like when i talk to you guys too much.”
one night she called me crying. not loud crying. the quiet kind. the kind where someone’s trying not to let anyone else in the house hear. he hadn’t hit her. but he had screamed inches from her face. blocked the door when she tried to leave. told her no one else would ever want her. and the harsh truth?
no bruises means no one believes it’s serious. no broken bones means people call it “just relationship problems.” she stayed longer than she should have. not because she was weak. but because he made her believe she had nowhere else to go. that’s the reality.
sometimes abuse doesn’t start with a slap. it starts with “i just care about you.” and by the time you realize it’s control, you’re already shrinking yourself to survive.