For many people behind bars, the story didn’t begin with a crime; it began with a wound. Cycles of abuse, neglect, and survivalism shape countless lives long before a prison sentence ever does. When children grow up without guidance, without safety, without anyone modeling compassion, it’s not surprising that some eventually stumble into the only patterns they’ve ever known.
abnormal
She didn’t get to choose her birth order, yet somehow it became her full-time identity. Before she even understood what responsibility meant, it was handed down like a family heirloom. She is the firstborn, the test run, the one who had to “know better,” “do better,” and “hold it together.” While other kids her age were allowed to be children, she was busy being the example, the helper, the emotional buffer, the one who kept the family from tipping over.
There’s a particular kind of fear that comes from being sick and unheard at the same time. It’s the moment you realize the person meant to help you has already decided your suffering isn’t real.