Part One: The Childhood We Were Promised, and the One We Lived

We’re taught that family should be forgiven no matter the harm, that blood excuses everything, and that love means endurance. But for many people, childhood was not safe, and forgiveness was demanded without accountability or change. This piece explores the grief, nervous system impact, and boundary confusion that grow out of family-of-origin trauma—and why telling the truth is often the first act of healing.