How did you beat the odds?

My father was an alcoholic-drug-user- dealer who had a chemical imbalance in his brain which resulted in heightened violence. And just for fun, he was a Marine in Vietnam who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My mother was the frequent victim of domestic abuse and just as frequently unleashed her anger on her children through emotional and verbal abuse. I was the oldest child whom took care of the three younger siblings, sometimes for two weeks at a time, before another relative stepped in or my parents showed up again. My youngest sister called me mom for a few years.

I beat the odds because I am still alive and not suicidal. I beat the odds because the first time someone hit me, I stood up and walked away without ever looking back. I beat the odds because I do not drink or do drugs. I beat the odds because I have a husband and two beautiful children who do not know (and never will know) what it is like to be physically, emotionally, or verbally abused. I beat the odds because I have not fallen into the many snares there are for people who have experienced these things. And I am proud of that fact.