Has this happened to anyone else here?
I was pulled out of public school after a suicide attempt around age 13 and enrolled in online classes. When I was 17, after four years of isolation and deteriorating mental health my parent decided to unenroll me from school entirely, telling me that I could just get my ged. They never helped me get my ged, and I stepped into the working world and have been working ever since. I constantly feel like the dumbest person in every room. I am terrified to actually find out how intellectually and academically behind I am. I know it must be significant.
I found this subreddit awhile back and sometimes I just scroll through and cry. I can't believe how many similarities there are in our stories. My parent lost my social security card and my birth certificate, both of which prevented me from getting a job for awhile. I see that is not uncommon on this subreddit. I was never taught to drive, and that's common here. I developed social anxiety and the isolation became my comfort, despite crying frequently due to loneliness.
I have lived with so much guilt, shame and self doubt because of these things. I am 27 now and finally able to look back on my childhood and see very clearly my mom was holding me back from success at every turn. I do not know if it was intentional, but I look back now in horror and wonder what kind of parent doesn't want their kid to drive?? Or get a high school diploma? Or have a social group and normal teenage experiences? What kind of parent further isolates their kid after a mental health episode like that?? I feel like a significant part of my life has been stolen from me. I needed help and I got isolation.
We used to be homeless when I was a baby. I was taken from her by cps on more than one occasion. She was a teenager with zero support, and I have always let that prevent me from criticizing her in any way but I can't do it anymore. I am 27 and I am finally fucking angry.