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How can my so-called family, the extended relatives that I grew up with, consider family as everything when for so long they’ve denied my immediate family anything?

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We passed a notebook back and forth, our hands brushing, our bodies inching closer and closer to each other until simultaneously, we leaned towards each other for a kiss.

And it was good — really good.

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The concept of success is up to ourselves to fill in.

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In your childhood home, nothing was ever good enough.

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We can travel alone without guilt, we can die poor, and we can make lots of stupid decisions without worrying that it will impact some tiny human. It’s pretty great.

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s much as I love feeling my feelings and sharing my thoughts, I never imagined that I would be placing a burden on those who I share them with.

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The ones you once looked up to, just become people. People who struggle with their choices and everyday lives as well.

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Express your needs clearly and calmly. If you are requesting a change in your relationship, try to make one request at a time so your dad doesn’t feel overwhelmed.

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Would it be chaos? Would it be silence? Would mom or dad be high or drunk? Would they even be home?

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My mother taught me how rare unconditional love is.