When you ask yourself these questions, you can determine whether the relationship you're in is a healthy one or not. To get your copy of this helpful book, click on the link to the left and learn how to recognize a bad relationship =).

Okay.

The first thing that struck me about this was that they didn't seem to care about the woman being attacked by her ex... they were more worried about the unpaid towing bills. Apparently $600 worth of unpaid towing bills from a woman who was set on fire and hospitalized is more important than the fact that her ex - who I guarantee was abusive and pissed about the "ex" label - was the one who set her on fire. What the hell????

Full story here - Huffington Post.

I once felt like a blob of gray: no shape, no color, no personality, no voice. I was so busy trying to be what someone else wanted me to be that I completely lost myself. And no, it wasn’t by choice – it was by force.

Though it didn’t seem like it at the time, I was being controlled, manipulated, and abused into being someone I clearly wasn’t happy being. I was often manipulated into doing things I didn’t want to do in order to keep this person happy – aka not angry – and my life was lived in constant fear and anxiety.

There have been many heartaches and lessons over the years. Domestic violence isn’t anything to joke about, laugh about, or take lightly… But the things I know about myself now that I didn’t before are priceless.


Read the full article on The Revered Review.

Domestic violence isn’t anything new or newly revealed. The sad thing is, it’s been around for centuries and far too many women and men alike have to suffer through abuse from their spouses while their children are trapped in the middle.

“Mommy, are you okay?”

A two-year-old should never have to ask their mother this question when they see her crying, but mine did – often.

Read the full article on JF News.

I grew up pretty spoiled. Fairly normal childhood, loving parents, ballet and piano lessons.... Absolutely nothing to imply that I would wind up married to an abuser at 17.

I got pregnant. Even though I originally didn't want any children, I was excited about it - I have an ability to adjust to change easily because my dad was in the Army and we moved a lot throughout my childhood, so I consider that a blessing.

After my ex and I got married, I constantly wondered why I was unhappy because I thought I had it all - a husband, I was able to stay home with my baby, I wrote my first novel at 19, and I had time for journaling... but I was miserable. I thought it was me.