Everyone has heard of child abuse, right? Babies being stabbed, little kids being abandoned with no food or money, teens being raped by their fathers? But have you ever really heard of them being shouted at constantly? Shunned, ridiculed, and threatened? No, I'm sure you haven't.
The saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" is the most false statement I've ever heard. Words DO hurt, no matter how tough someone is. They hurt like knives, stabbing repeatedly at hearts, and then leaving them to pick up their own pieces.
Why is emotional abuse so neglected? Because you can't die from it? Does it really matter? Emotional abuse is still abuse. Of course, someone would rather be emotionally abused than physically. But the scars that emotional abuse leave last much longer and run much deeper than those that physical abuse leave. Why are there signs of physical abuse on kids, but not emotional? It's not fair. It's just not effing fair.
I'm tired of people looking at me, wondering why I have no self-esteem and why I never mention my mom, or wondering why I'm so quiet and shy. Whenever they ask what's wrong, and I actually tell them, they sometimes say, "Stop exaggerating." I'm NOT exaggerating. Yes, my mom really does call me that. Why is that so hard to believe? No, it's not fair and it's not funny, and I'm NOT frickin' lying. Don't feel bad for me; I don't need your sympathy.
I try to be nice and pleasant. I really, really try. But it's so hard when all these popular, whiny kids are all, "UGH! I hate my mom! She grounded me because I'm failing two of my classes!" Well, if I was failing two of my classes, you'd probably never see me again because I'd be dead! My mom grounds me for such little things, it's not even funny. So stop your f***ing complaining! I'd like to see you live MY life. Now go suck up your sorry a**es and get over yourselves.

Because emotional abuse hurts.