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Have you ever been abused by a parent, and if so how do you learn to trust others again?

Asked by KNOWITALL (29688points) November 30th, 2012

My mom was an alcoholic for years and there was some shoves, etc…a few times. I was in and out of bars seeing and hearing things I shouldn’t from age 12 to age 16, then I moved out when I was 17 to get a fresh start away from my mom.

I still have a hard time getting close to people though, allowing them into my private life (unless it’s somewhere safe like online- lol). Something in me broke when my mom was mean to me, and I just don’t trust people. I’m almost 40 and it gets lonely since I won’t allow people to get very close. I feel like they only want to get close so that once I trust them or love them, they can hurt me.

My niece has also said that her father’s insane temper has made her feel the same way, so I want to help her but I don’t know how since I have the same issue. But she’s only 13 and I don’t want her pushing people away like I do.

Any insights?

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