I’m 14. Yeah, I’m really young, I know that. A lot of you are younger than me and will relate to this post. I’m so done being told I shouldn’t be stressed because I’m a kid. That I don’t know TRUE stress. Your stressed are bills, your job, your crappy boss, maybe a problematic relationship etc. my stresses are being forced to practically raise my younger brothers, (making sure they’re awake to do their school work, feeding them, bathing them, reading to them, playing with them, and generally being their mother) failing grades because I can’t focus which will effect my future, insomnia sweeping me up in its arms, tipping me in the small glow of the stove light. Anxiety that has this romantic way of making the moon feel like perfect company, and people looking like pawns that the evil king is moving towards me slowly, until I am overrun with enemies, while I’m walking on an ocean of happiness I can’t baptize myself in. Dad says “happy is a DECISION” but my decisions don’t apparently matter until I’m 18. Dad says try counting sheep, but I can only count reasons to stay awake.

Anywho, kids feel stress. A lot of kids have it worse than me, which I can’t even begin to fathom the pain and suffering a lot of kids go through, only to be told that their lives don’t matter by the people they look up to. I’m terrified of the response I’ll get from this... I might not even post it. I probably will, because I can never give myself a break and I always make life harder than it has to be. (And yes, I go to therapy)