I came from a home where I had very poor role models as a young woman. My mother and father divorced when I was ten, and my mother immediately started dating…a lot. She introduced me to all of her dates and then she quickly got pregnant, and moved the father in. He was the first of several step-dads or live-in boyfriends who I had to live with when I was a child. I didn’t understand what a good relationship was, and I certainly didn’t understand how to conduct myself when I started dating as a teenager.
While my father saw us once a week (that’s legally all he got even though he was a good dad), his influence on me was minor. By the time I was 15, I was already getting into bad relationships. I recently heard you say something like “getting involved sexually before you are ready to do so mentally, emotionally and physically will only make for bad memories later on.” It’s so true. I look back on my years from 15 to 19 with shame and regret, and I’m still haunted by the damage created in my unstable home. Everything you teach, including telling young women to respect themselves and find someone worthy of them is one million percent accurate.
Had I listened to you growing up, perhaps I would have waited until I met the wonderful husband I have now. I would have known my worth far earlier on and avoided all those years of bad behavior. Thank you for helping me understand how to honor my husband in ways my mother never showed me and for guiding so many young women to a place of love and respect for themselves.
Audrey
I Didn’t Understand What A Good Relationship Was
