Many of us have likely found ourselves in a controlling relationship at some point in our lives, and it’s difficult as a parent to watch our teen daughters and sons being caught up in this kind of ‘bad romance’. If you’re feeling concerned, and recounting your own experiences is not making an impact, then show the following post to your teen – everyone should read it.
Brittaney Lynn Shane, a US teenager, has become a viral internet sensation after sharing an inspiring and powerful message to the ex-boyfriend who destroyed her confidence and broke her self-esteem.
In her post, which has been shared almost 36,000 times, Brittaney detailed how her ex-boyfriend criticised everything about her – from her hair to her weight – until her confidence was at rock-bottom. Towards the end of their relationship, Brittaney even believed that she was ‘out of his league’.
In a heartbreaking revelation, Brittaney wrote: “I did everything I could to be what you wanted. I did everything you told me to do. It still wasn't good enough. You left me for a younger, prettier girl. Someone you could mould and shape into what you wanted. Like you tried to do with me. And up until a few months ago I blamed myself for everything that happened. You blamed me too.”
You always told me I didn't look good with long hair and that you preferred girls with short hair. So I kept my hair...
Posted by Brittaney Lynn Shane on Friday, December 4, 2015
Following their break-up however, Brittaney slowly but surely began to see the truth behind her ex’s actions, and realised that the problem was not with her – it was with him.
“You weren't out of my league. I was out of yours. I wasn't the one who wasn't good enough for you. You were the one who wasn't good enough for me. You couldn't accept me for who I was. When I took you the way you were. Your many, many, many flaws and everything else that was there. The only time I ever asked you to change was when I asked you to show me you actually cared about me. Which you never did,” she added.
Brittaney accompanied her message with a powerful photo of herself with striking, long red hair – a defiant move, given how her ex had always told her that she looked ‘ridiculous’ with long, dyed tresses.
In her sign-off, Brittaney confirmed that she now has her life back on track: “It's humiliating to even think about how low I got. But what gives me the guts to come out about this is the fact that I overcame it and I'm finally back to who I really am.”
As unique as Brittaney’s story is in its detail, the sad reality is that many people of all ages suffer in silence in these emotionally abusive relationships. No one should ever put up with treatment like this, and every young man and woman needs to learn this as they grow up in the world.
