Content Warning: This episode discusses child abuse, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and eating disorders.
Every child assumes their family life is normal because they have nothing to compare it to. Still, high school English teacher and author Bridey Thelen-Heidel started to piece together that life with her mom was pretty unusual. Maybe it was the endless succession of dangerous boyfriends her mom had or the rampant drug use or the 22 moves before graduating high school or the time her mom left her home alone at age 9 for several days. Maybe it was the abuse. Certainly, being told that Bridey, age 11, was to be the “father” for a new half-sister was pretty different. Bridey, the author of the memoir Bright Eyes, shares how she survived this environment and early parentification to make her own way in the world, draw close to some family members, and draw hard boundaries with others. She also tells of the stable life she built, including 25 years as a caring teacher and the mother of a daughter who has always known stability.
Here’s a TEDx talk she gave called ROB The Trauma, Steal Back Your Life.
