Be stronger your children need a mother.

At least you have your own family now.

We don’t need to bring up the past.

You’re choosing to stay stuck.

God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.

Everything happens for a reason.

Hurt people hurt people.

END 🧵

Don’t even give it a second thought I’m sure he’s not.

You being over-sensitive.

Your needs are too complex.

Survivors are a bit… you know… clingy.

Try to rise above it.

Think about how it will affect the family if you speak out.

5/

You are very resilient (you’ll be fine).

You need a thicker skin.

Don’t let it get to you.

You’re stronger than that.

Maybe you should move on.

Find a way to forgive.

4/

All of the following words have been said to me or to other survivors. We hear words like these everywhere - from media to family. In healthcare, education, religious and support settings.

These phrases are invalidating, shaming, offensive and harmful.
3/

There must be a shift in the way society responds to us as survivors - the way we feel/survive is frequently misunderstood or judged. The negative perceptions chip away over time, eroding a sense of self-worth or exacerbating feelings of shame.

2/

We won't run
We're here to stay
Howling ghosts they reappear
Mountains that are stacked with fear
But we have Lion hearts
Though far away
We are still the same

Survivors are Lion Hearts ❤️❤️🦁
Be Lion-hearted

With Love
@theflyingchild.bsky.social

King & Lionhearts
youtu.be/A76a_LNIYwE?...
Image

Storylines about CSA can help people recognise their own experiences. They can spark empowering and healing conversation.
I didn’t have that talk with my boys as it felt too raw but I will. 🌸

Thank you @bbceastenders and particularly to #jessiewallace for getting it right

End 🧵

#CSA

Fiction can be a mirror so clear it physically hurts. I see my child self in Kat and in other storylines in books/films/shows.
That’s why storytelling informed by lived experience matters - and why I’m pleased to advise the @Csarepsproject . csa-in-fiction.com 5/

When I disclosed, I was told:

“We thought he was like that, but we tried not to leave you alone with him.”
It might sound harsh, but I’m not sure they tried hard enough. 4/

Watching with my sons (13 & 11) felt important.
I wanted them to see what some families can hide - the lies at the dinner table, the rewriting of history, the silence around “that” relative -
The ones we suspect or know about but protect. 3/

If you’ve watched the Kat/Zoe/Uncle Harry storyline, you’ll know how devastating it is - and it’s resurfaced again. As a survivor of CSA/rape within the family, watching Kat tell her son Tommy that Zoe was conceived through rape was hard to watch. 2/

The therapists work in different schools, so a significant reach in terms of the children and families they support.

Peg was my little helper, and she didn’t bark once! 😍

3/

Lots of discussion around stigma, family reputation, the importance of being human first - and how to make a difference in a world that prefers to pathologise those who have suffered CSA.

2/