[Serious] What was a normal part of your life growing up that other people were shocked by?

I have a scar about 5" long just above my eye into my head on one side.

People say it looks cool and they ask how I did it. I just casually responded it was on Christmas eve when my sibling was angry I got gifts at christmas too so she beat me till I couldnt walk and slammed my head against a door frame until my head cracked open. I woke up covered in blood and the walls covered in blood. Never taken to a hospital because of also abusive parents who didn't give a shit. After a fair amount of blood loss and holding a towel on my head for half an hour I had apparently turned pale white and passed out on the lounge toom floor they took me to a doctor who didn't ask questions. Fucking prick of a doctor should have reported it. I woke up in a mcdonalds drive first through because my older sister was screaming she wanted McDonald's. I got a concussion and about 8-9 stitches. She was 10 I was 5... true story. I didn't realise till I was 25 that People don't have that kind of relationship with their siblings or parents. People always looked at me and I expected them to have similar stories. 1 in 10 do but most of them don't and it just never clicked that not everyone is messed up.

I got home. About a week later I guess my body had made more red blood cells? I was sleeping most the days. I must have seemed like i was on the mend. I was told I had to clean up the mess I left in the laundry. The dried blood off the walls and off the living room carpet. It was red carpet but you could still see it. That horrible 70's cheap business grade thin red/dark red/black pattern where stains could easily get lost and was probably made from asbestos. Fuck I hated growing up.

I used to have a lock on my door down the bottom from age 7 to stop my sibling and a parent from abusing me. I first used to hide in a toilet but she would get a hammer, pull the entire doorknob off and smash away till it broke. And my parents would literally hear it going on and let it happen.

I didn't mind getting stabbed/cut. It left clean scars, ie as long as I didn't put my hands out and they cut me on my arms I could hide it and still use my hands. Getting burned hurt more for longer and left ugly scars.

My parents never told the police and would tell me I was making it up, I had to get out of her way. It was my fault. All the while also being abusive and smiling and laughing while doing it. The police did come once. After my other sibling called 911 becuase I had just been beaten till I passed out so she thought I was dead. I woke up before they came. They said I shouldn't lie and trick my family into thinking I was dead.

I stated sleeping on the street at 9-10 and telling them I was at a friend's sleep over party but I would be sleeping in parks on nights when it was warm enough. Was full blown homeless at 14.

I genuinely thought that was life... we were meant to be pushed from the next like birds. It is literally one of the first sayings I remember that birds push their young out so they can fly and that male lions have to roam by themselves forever.

I only found out that siblings and parents don't treat each other like that 20 years later.

I was working under the assumption that everyone has horrible siblings and parents.

Also tried to kill myself three times. Before I was 10. Drowning (someone saw me dive in but not surface and I woke up to a chest zapper). Wrist cutting (funnily enough saw it in an anti-suicide campaign). And pills (Again, anti suicide campaign)

Please no reddit gold or silver. If you have to, just actually donate to your local homeless shelter or domestic violence charity. Even $2 helps.

/r/AskReddit Thread