Middle-aged opinion - Traumatised

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

Today we’ve chosen stories of people that have been traumatised either by their own choices or by the things that people have done to them some are gobsmacking as always and some not so much but still shocking. We hope you enjoy today’s episode please like follow and subscribe, we really appreciate all the support we get so much and thank you to those that continues to come back and listen to Our podcast. #Redditstories. #Podcast.

Wow, what do you think of that? What don't you think of that? Well I think that girl has got everything that she deserves. Yeah, and then Because that's more... Relatable. A little bit. That's more... I find that really fascinating in the facts about being a psychopath. I'll just go into that bit a little bit more rather than traumatize myself.

Okay, what are we doing? Err, which one do you want to start? Let's start with one of yours. Let's make it about you. What was mine? Ghosties or...? Can we say ghosties for last? Okay. So what was my other one? Erm, traumatize. Oh dear.

There's nothing lighthearted about our podcast anymore. The plastic surgery ones aren't too bad. I do find that in these, because when I said to you, I'm going to struggle to find a section of the podcast we've done that we can giggle about, because I knew there was nothing to laugh about. I think the traumatized one, we can have a giggle about the traumatised one. Yes, but I'm talking about the true crime. I was like, how am I going to edit this down into something funny?

I don't know if I'll be able to. And if I can't, it would just be the podcast and not. But we'll release a TikTok the day before to ease people into it. Right, so what we're doing traumatised, let me go down to that. Literally, my brain was like, please stop reading stuff. Right, so what we're doing traumatize, let me go down to that. Literally my brain was like, please stop reading stuff, this is the most you've read in your entire life. Making up the lost time.

And you keep writing it all down. I'm seriously babe, when I got to a point and everything just started to come off the page and was all around the room, I was like, ummmmm. I was was like Google what color and it was like turn it to green love. Right okay I'm ready to go. Are we ready? Uh huh. Uh huh. Right. Hang on. Okay bear with people, bearing with. Oh, it's my, yes, go, no, stop, go, now, ready, start. I saw a tea show that made me think of you.

What was it? It was a Disney, it was actually a Disney movie. It's a Disney one. And there was like a picture of Ariel and she says, but Danny, I love him. He really tickled me. Are you saying you didn't get it for me? I might have. But Danny, I love him.

I'm just like, what the fuck? Oh, remember saying that about my husband. But Danny. Me too. Right. Oh, I'm going straight into the story. Okay David, just let me, are there scar marks or anything? Do I look like a normal person?

Yeah? Just a little bit in the corner. This corner? Oh like eye goop. Eye bogeys. And this corner. What the fuck are you saying? Your whole face, no.

And this corner. Look. They know you're good. Not that they can see but, yeah. I'm not. Oh for fuck's sake! Your whole face. And there's quite a... Look. They know you're good. Not that they can see, but, you know, we don't want to traumatise the viewers. How'd you make that stay in? Just by twisting it through.

I've got 17 there, do you want me to do it for you in a minute? Yeah. For the next one, I just got me one to do it. I want to know how to do that, I can't. Just literally weave it through. I can't do jack shit with my hair. I know you're useless. Useless.

Absolutely useless. I can plait it now. Oh my god, I'm going to have to show you the fucking hair clip I got after. I can't French plait. I've got a snake where you connect it, put that through, twist your hair through the snake and then the dangly bit. It's beautiful I mean I can't see it but other people will be able to see it

anyway moving on hahahaha no wonder we've always got an 8 minute clip the day before on a fucking Tuesday because we're like I have no idea oh yeah by the way I've got a snake

it's got a little umgur there used to be only like 4 or 5 minutes it's because random shit pops in my head all the fucking time. And I'm just like, oh my god, Jack, did I tell you? I'm like the ones where literally the whole clip is us going, brr, brr, brr, brr. So when I did Tuesday's clip, I did the minute on TikTok, and then I edited it right down because I told you the shorter

they are the quicker it spreads around and more views and then I left in that bit, you were like I was like I was like I better leave the middle aged opinion part in there but I was like yeah I like that. Right hello everyone and welcome to middle-aged opinion I am your host Ellie and I'm your host Emily and today we are looking at traumatize them back which I'm quite excited about traumatize them back traumatize them back or traumatize okay I was like I swear I didn't read them back no you definitely did say they probably did but I was frazzled I just got traumatized. So I

feel like this can have like subreddits of pay revenge and I feel like I'm not you've probably gone a different direction now I'm like, I'm like Danny, I'm so sorry. I can't get like hearted, she's on D. I'm like, but I didn't mean to, I'm gonna check. I am checking that tick, right? But it was late, yeah? It was a Friday night.

I didn't know, you didn't even comment. Oh no, you did. I traumatized them back. How did I miss them back? I don't know, maybe I should have screen-showed for you. No, it's not your fault, it's my fault. I just read too much. Yeah, I'd just been, I was just too... I cannot wait to hear what you felt. Right. Right, go on.

Okay, so I'm going first. Sorry! Okay, so I'm going first. Sorry. So, Traumatize Them Back, found on Reddit. This is called, made some of my bullies piss themselves in fear. Fair play. And it has like subreddited matched energy. Okay? Okay.

So, okay, I have no proof for the pissing themselves part but I did scare the absolute shit out of them. It all started in my second year of secondary school. I lived at a walking distance to my school so I'd walk home on lunch break to eat in peace away from the loud crowd. As I was walking back to school I was really in my own world until a car passed by window down and two girls screamed to make me jump and then laughed their arses off as the car headed to school. I'm really I'm really jumpy with an anxiety disorder so jump scares tend to really affect me. It wouldn't have been that bad if it was it weren't for the fact that every time after that they passed me by my locker and I was there they would

immediately start laughing and pointing at me for a month. That month was the month of October. Do you start to see where I'm going with this? When October started the school announced it would open the haunted house committee and I thought, oh, I love acting and making up stories so I should join. It was really fun and I even got my dad who was teaching at the school to help create a whole fake scary legend to pass around in a special edition of the school's papers. I wasn't really thinking about the bullies at this point because I was just having fun with this

and at first me joining the committee had nothing to do with them. The day of the haunted house opening arrived and I ended up playing a creepy little girl in the very first part of it. I was on the stage of the auditorium singing creepily with two other people and part of our thing was periodically we'd start screaming really loud. Guess who I quickly realized, guess who I quickly realized would show up. We were the very first

part of the haunted house and I recognized the two bullies coming in from afar. I put on my creepiest tone and walked closer and closer to them. I screamed so loud and I saw them hugging each other so tired and screamed in fear just like in cartoons. They never recognized me but though and when I asked they didn't even believe it was me But I'm still proud that that things happened like this and I remember my little revenge fondly It was light-hearted. It was gentle. Yeah. No good She got she got her own back a little bit enjoyed the moment and for once wasn't frightened because she didn't need to be It was nice. it was like, it was like, yeah, you know, like one to me.

I don't really understand why people bully continuously someone just to be an arsehole. Just it's just fucking horrible, isn't it? But yeah, yeah. I told you before, H hattie it's not this is very funny and also strangely wholesome so that's nice yeah it was it was a nice little story just but now so although mine is darker it is kind of it does fit the narrative of traumatize them back. Yes, but it's really dark

Okay, yeah Right this is in mental health Is it possible to trauma traumatize yourself with your prior actions to traumatise yourself with your prior actions? This may sound like an odd question, but is it possible to traumatise yourself through previous things that you have done? Without going into too much detail, I went through a period of several years

where I was callously cruel and uncaring towards a woman that I loved. And it really destroyed her. For the past year I've been trying to make sense of why I acted this way. I recently started taking antidepressants and it's like all the feelings and empathy have flooded back in. And I am absolutely horrified by how I acted. I was essentially a cruel and neglectful abuser. Realizing that after my ex left me

and I got on these meds has been an incredibly jarring experience. I made her pre-existing trauma so much worse and I've been having floods of memory, a lot like flashbacks of her trying to get my affection and support and me callously ignoring her. I'm horrified thinking of how she must have felt and I think I've cried more in the past two weeks than I have in the decade and I am 30 years old. So I'm not usually at all weepy. But getting back to my original question, am I having traumatic responses to trauma I inflicted and am I acknowledging now? Does that even make any sense?

And I guess a secondary question, how is it even possible that I acted in such an abhorrent way and abusive way and I'm only now recognizing it. I wasn't taking drugs or drinking heavily or anything like that so I have no idea what explains it. Hoping someone has a good insight since I'm absolutely appalled about how I treated her and I keep having memories of mistreating her and it's really hard not to break down in tears. God. It's not like a guilty conscience.

It does, which actually is very rarely admitted to. I don't think the antidepressants have done that because normally that numbs you slightly. Yeah I think this is just the process of the breakup and he's processing why they broke up. Yeah and I think maybe because he hasn't got another relationship to jump straight back into that actually he's gonna gotta fill the feelings a little. Yeah. I don't, I don't feel sorry for him.

No. I feel nothing anymore. After this morning. But I also appreciate for the first time I'm hearing someone go, oh my God, I'm the worst person ever. Do shut up. Yeah, I mean, I hear it.

What are you doing about it? I'm not really feeling much. It is literally now what you're gonna do about it. It is your actions speak louder than words. Well done for feeling your feelings. Now fix it. Right, but you can't fix it. You can't fix it, but you can fix it in the sense of be a better person next time. Yeah.

And do you know what? Actually, tell your ex you're sorry. Yeah. Maybe admit it. It doesn't fix it. It won't bring her back, but at least she can have some sort of closure of, even if she doesn't believe you, you can go, do you know what? I'll take that, but now get out of my face. Yeah, yeah. Or write her a letter, an email, something like that. I think stay away from her, actually. Right, so top comment. What am I doing? I do believe you can traumatize yourself, but I'm no therapist. And as to why you acted the way you did, my boyfriend was the same around a year into

the relationship. He was basically an arrogant prick. But truth is, I was the issue. I kept having panic attacks and needing him all the time, which wore him out. He was mentally and emotionally exhausted and tired. Of course, him acting the way he did as a response was only natural, but drove us both down a devilish spiral. Maybe it was the same for you.

Maybe you subconsciously protected yourself from emotionally stress by being an arsehole. If that's the case, please forgive yourself. I'm not your ex, but from what I gather, I was in her position and understand if you do manage to forgive yourself for that, you might be able to cope with the trauma a little better. I wish you all the best. I can't, I can't, there's better ways to deal with it than be a fucking arse. I'll just separate. No? I just like, I want to go actually, like I get that, protecting yourself,

but there's no need to be cruel you can just say I can't I can't help you you're gonna have to you know what I mean and still be loving and supporting but saying you're leaning on me too much you're gonna need you're gonna uh yeah I haven't got that energy to give for that yeah I have to protect myself my peace but to I don't know I can't I will not I refuse to write your offers you did nothing wrong no I don't care we've all been in situ I do better I mean even as friends in when you've been through something I've been through something and I've really you know given you much what's going on my stress whatever never in those parts have I taken away from you to to make up to build my wall

taking from you and never have you been like you're too much because it's give and take right if someone's going through something your people should be there for you but then you've got to give that back and you've got to make sure that you're not tearing them apart and vice versa. So I can't agree with that fully, but I kind of get it a little bit. Anyway, over to you.

Yeah, I feel like we've definitely gone down different roads. We're 100% a point, we're 100% okay. I'm just hoping I read the ghost one properly. I'm sure you do. Right so I'm still on traumatizing back but this one has also come under passive aggressively murdered. Okay. Okay. So it's because we're old. Okay well we are babe not us oh wow sorry I thought you were so I was like yes yes we are yes yes no no no no no yes I am so it starts with not exactly traumatizing but it was still a funny answer so I'm adding it so lately I've noticed that my parents have been forgetting more stuff

at home way more than usual like getting out of their house to go to work or go to on a walk and seconds later ring the doorbell and go back home because they forgot their phone, their wallet, their keys or whatever. It happened today again I was eating breakfast and my parents went out on a walk. Just two seconds from the moment the door closed I heard the doorbell ring and I get up to let my mum in. Me. Damn, lately you've been forgetting more stuff whenever you go out, huh? Mum, it's because we're getting old and we forget stuff more easily.

Is that what you wanted to hear? Frickinicking smart ass. She was smiling. Then she said, when she said that, and I knew she was joking, but I totally just deserved that answer. We both laughed at her sassy answer and she went on her way. And there's me thinking you might want to get your carbon monoxide checked. Well, they keep forgetting shit recently more and more and more. How's your carbon monoxide detector?

Huh? It's on two in a dark place from the first bog cut. You're all gonna die! Leave the house immediately! Collect the pets! Oh my god. Oh my god. Um, yeah, getting old. I mean, I do that, I did that at 20, 30, yesterday, earlier today, it's constant. But it probably is an old age thing.

I can't believe I'm not old. Of course. I'm 68, I've been leaving the house and coming straight back because I forget something for 40 years at least. My parents used to laugh at me for it. I've got my head set yesterday when I went for my run. I was like, shit, I have to come back. I'm always doing it. Yeah. Always doing it. I'm always doing it. Yeah, I can relate to that. Must be my old age. And then I'm taking it so we're really dark. Says okay yes but hear me out. My precious, beloved, wonderful late mother-in-law went from

from a little case of the forgets to full-blown Alzheimer's and dementia in a space of two years and then died. Please force them to go to the new spirit animal to get checked. It can hurt to be sure, it can't hurt to be sure. Better know that they're still okay. So like rapid outsiders. Yeah so it's going like ha ha ha a little bit of a finish. And then there's me. You're going to drive. Have you checked all your carbon monoxide? You might have Alzheimer's. You might have diamond jar. You know OP answer. Yeah I'm sorry about your late mother-in-law she sound like a great person

I don't really know how she could get she's trying to be nice. She's nicer than me. Yeah, I Get that that you're worried, but don't worry. They're not even 60 years old yet. Even more. This is check definitely carbon monoxide poisoning But yeah, they're the picture of health, if it goes to the rest, I'll get them to a neurologist, but thanks for worrying though. Just get the detector wave. It took me five years to convince my mother-in-law to see the neurologist. Oh my god. For fuck's sake.

And it has been obvious she needed two for a while before we even mentioned it. It doesn't hurt to get them baseline and there are drugs that can slow down the progression. Oh for god's sake. The likelihood of both mother and father developing Alzheimer's at the same time is like really really low. And did you get the power of attorney until last summer? Oh for god's sake stop reading it! And then it was so late! Now they're all dead!

Did I tell you? I'd also say blood tests and check vitamin levels! Vitamin B12! Unless they do get their yearly check-ups, low vitamins can play havoc on them. Is everyone like, stop talking? Everyone is just like, they're going to die, get them checked. That's right. I'm moving on. Please do. From your death. Right.

We talk about childhood trauma, but children traumatise their parents just as much, if not more. I found this one a little bit interesting, it's very short. It's very very short people yeah. Right now one of the trending topics around the world is around the world is childhood trauma. How your parents did you wrong by doing X Y and Z but we but we like to ignore the fact that children take their parents through a lot of as well doing absolute nonsense like throwing tantrums, crashing their parents car, getting pregnant and completely completely complete losers and dropping out of school

these events are often with a shrug and a smile but they were very traumatizing and shocking for the parents a lot of people, excuse me a lot of people need some serious some serious I'm not sure what that says on this subject what do you think kids are the worst they are the fucking worst mate but also the very best. I think it's... I agree with the post which is what I found interesting. As a parent yeah the kids are the fucking worst and I'm pretty sure I'm

I've been traumatized through becoming a mother. A hundred percent. Like and don't get me wrong. I'm quite sure my kids are traumatized too Probably being my children probably So I I've said it before but in our group are mine the eldest children barring a friend who's got an elder son a year younger than harry Yeah, yeah so I my children are grown as I've said many times and I got to a point and I started saying to my friends when their kids were very little or as they were going

on to have children, don't do it because it is the worst thing. I say that all the time. I work in a school and there are teachers who are younger than me and I'm like, don't do it, don't do it. Surely this is enough to me. They're like, oh. I'm like, oh. The thing is, right, they are the worst thing I have ever done but also the best thing that I have ever done and accomplished is having my children and I say this because watching them go through things and things

happening in their life and them being assholes to me is very very traumatizing to watch your children go through anything. I can't tell you as a parent or a parent of older children or children that have gone through things when they're younger as you know my mum passing away their dad having an issue watching your children go through those things is fucking traumatizing yeah and the whole time you're just trying to be the best mom ever and then they're proper little fucking cunts to you it's like I can't tell you that I spent like a fucking entire year before before my brain scan and seeing a fucking neuro doctor being put on amitriptyline

thinking about driving into a fucking tree so and every morning would be a fight an argument a fucking this that and the other and I was like oh my god what am I doing so wrong as a parent so I could completely relate with the topic of that. You know, but you have to be a parent to understand exactly and I think as well you know watching someone be cruel to your child and them having no fa- I mean the list is never ending of what's bad but I could give you a full list of what's amazing about being a parent. Listen, definitely 100% as being a parent the list of the positive always outweighs the negative. Otherwise people wouldn't be doing it. It does, yeah. You certainly wouldn't be going on to have a second one. Absolutely. Well I don't know, it depends when you have a second one. Also when you do have your kids you don't know what's coming. What's coming because every child is different. Absolutely. You parent every child differently.

Absolutely. You can have one child, you can have six children. That first child definitely gets parented different to the younger two. Absolutely. because you are at a different point of your life as a parent they are in the different part of their lives as a child and then their school lives, their sibling life, home life everything is different so you cannot know ever what is coming and the job is never over It's never it's never done. It's never over. I'm 41 years old and I said I Yeah, and he's like

Yeah, yeah, and then my mom's like Yeah, and he's like I love you Emily I think I think that yeah, I think that definitely You know, I don't try and give them much praise either because I need them to be Self-sufficient and independent but they know that I fully and completely love them and they're the best thing But also the worst thing I've ever done and that the work when I say the worst thing that is simply due it's not even that they give me a hard time it's simply due to the way the world is and the suffering and the hardships and the constant learning and education and things going wrong and it's just that is really the hardest part about being a parent so I actually found it quite

refreshing for someone to actually say it. Actually put it out there, real life shit. Instead of going, oh my god my children are the best ever because it's just not fucking true. It's not true. For anybody. I don't care. Yeah.

No. And you did slightly touch on it watching your friends and their children and the things they go through. It is really hard. It's really hard. It is hard watching your friends child be an asshole in that in that moment and you're like... I think as well the more the world changed like for example when we were at school if there was a problem you'd have

your beef probably a fight, school wouldn't even bother ringing your parents like and it would kind of move on. There'd a few bits intentionally you and that person now get on Yeah, cuz you're right out your issues, but it would kind of like that is kind of the school we went to anyway You know in the toilets anyway, not me yeah, but that Just me spoken in the toilet, but um, you're the reason I didn't go down to the toilets Why what did I do wrong? I i do i don't know i went down there either i was elsewhere um but yeah so you know my my point is the way the world is and these kids they come home and there's still no break and it's still fucking bullying online and so it's just getting worse and harder yeah and

then you choose to work in a school why not not? That's crazy, I just couldn't. During Covid, I thought, my God, hats off to these teachers. Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, I was working in a school then, but I am not a qualified teacher and what the teachers did, nah man, hats off to them. Yeah. Honestly. So the first lockdown, so-

We're not talking about lockdown no i just have to say something so my um my because my husband's vulnerable the kids stayed home second and let me tell you my god so anyway the sit even to get them to do their school work oh so the second lockdown i went you have a school day routine you do your work and then the day is yours and if you don't do that then you go to school and they were like okay we'll do our work and they did and that worked the second, first time I was like mate these teachers need a raise. I hear that. Yeah and I double that.

Literally. Absolutely. Because kids are the worst people. Yes. Right anyway moving on I did think that was a nice little one. Well it wasn't too bad, wasn't too dark for me. I think I'm gonna pick this one purely because you just touched on teaching. Oh brilliant. But I'm not sure, I didn't read it, I didn't read it. I just was intrigued by the title. Yeah. So again I'm still in Traumatize Them Back. It's got malicious complacence. Okay. Okay so the title is teacher was

of the opinion that if I was able to walk at all I shouldn't need a wheelchair so I showed her just how necessary it was for her class specifically okay yeah so I was like that okay yeah what does that mean what does that mean yeah I'm like I'm gonna just check that yeah yeah anyway in my last year of high school I took a drama class in second semester it felt a lot of it felt a lot like kindergarten but that's a post for another day I have cerebral palsy and and technically able to walk but that year I had just gotten my first wheelchair and it happened to be a classmate's old chair that he had broken through misuse. So by second semester I was using the wheelchair at school

all day but leaving it there. My drama teacher was particularly ableist and that my classmate was completely able to walk so she was fine with him using his wheelchair. But since the teacher was well aware that I could walk, she complained about my wheelchair every day. So one day when I'd had enough, I dropped the wheelchair off in the special room for kids with physical disabilities and walked to drama class. Where I suddenly had so much trouble keeping up with all the running around my classmates did that halfway through the class I had to lay on the floor and rest. The teacher never complained again How was it? Fucking stupid bitch. You're like wow, okay Some people are like that though the ignorance Yeah, it's ignorance and they are mainly people that nothing at that ever happened to them in their lives The ignorant I mean as a teacher

Why are you questioning this child's ability? Because she's basically saying if you can walk then what you need wheelchair for. This girl can walk but she can walk for a limited period of time and slowly and when she does it wears her out. So stop being a massive fucking bitch cunt and relax. Do you know? That's the big deal isn't it? Yeah yeah yeah yeah it's a birth defect isn't it but you know these people are just like and

they're everywhere she sounds like a Karen. Rubber. It's out of control honestly but yeah yeah fucking people. Oh my gosh so the top comment was what a shame there are still people like that around acting as though they know better good for you Yeah, doctor slash teacher and they they've put a subreddit on theirs, but she says I love the smell of drama I didn't create top one percent commit up anyway So many people seem to be under the impression that the two states of being are fully abled or paraplegic. Paraplegic. Paraplegic?

Yeah, so basically you're either fully, Yeah, you are or you're not. So she would, You know in between whatsoever. She would clasp Paul as not. Yeah, not, can't see it, therefore, Yeah. it's not there. Yeah, so when he stops and you know,

goes pale white and so he'd be like, She'd be like, oh. This teacher. A real. Teacher though as well, what a shame. But that, listen, that's the thing, sometimes people go into teaching babe, but they really shouldn't be into, in fact they shouldn't be around people or animals at all. No compassion.

No, terrible. And how can you be a teacher? How? And be so cruel. Honestly, I have this argument with certain teachers, not where I work. But, okay, I was like, errr. When the eldest son goes, where is your fucking compassion? There is none.

I used to say to... How dare you treat somebody like that and expect them to treat you better? One of Harry's teachers, Harry liked him on and off and I just cannot stand the idiot. And I used to say to him, I cannot sat at onto his face. I ain't got no problem. You know what I used to say to him? You want to get a life mate, don't you?

All the time. All the time. He once told me white is not a Christmas color. Oh this, that. Oh mate, he wants to get a life honestly. Get a life, a hobby, a girlfriend and get on with it. It's not like you're so weird. White is not a Christmas colour.

I'm hoping he listens. It is! Right anyway I need to move on because I get all irate. Idiot. Are you saying to him can you stop talking to me I get all like, I rave. Idiot. I used to say to him, can you stop talking to me, I don't like you. Don't even know why you're here. I need to grow up baby. Anyway, right, my last one. Am I the asshole? Oh yeah, go on. Not me specifically mate. Oh sorry. Right. Am I the, this is a alright one,

it's not, you know, deep down. Am I an asshole for telling my friend that she isn't traumatized from somebody else's proposal? That was then. I mean, it's already been stamped. So, let's see if you can guess. I am 20 female and have three close friends in college. Grace, 21. Is there a reason why you've only got three

close friends? How many you've got? One. Three. I think some of the girls are going to be hurt by that. Close friends? Yeah, close friends. Not best friends, close friends. Oh, there's seven of us. Yeah. And then your other mate, Sammy.

Eight. Well, I don't include myself. I'm seven. Yeah, so you should be seven. Take it back! Right, anyway, moving on. I20 Female, I have three- Sammy, you've got to mention. You better watch, bitch.

Does she watch? I don't know. So me, she's got a lot of stuff going on. I don't have to tell her. She's like a new mum. Her life's only beginning to be ruined. She doesn't have enough. More to come. After the break. Because watching my life wasn't enough.

Yeah, she was like, I know what I'll do. I want a bit of that. You're gonna have to number one. Right, I... Sorry. Yeah, I20 female. I want a bit of that. Nurds of number one. Right, I, yeah. I-20 female. She has a nice life actually. I'm talking. I-20 female, fucking hell,

have had three, have, have, had three close friends in college. Fucking bitch. Grace-21 female. I can't have my nose. Good. knowledge. You fucking bitch. Grace 21 female. Matt 21 male and Laura 21 female. I'd like to think I've got more than that many friends but anyway. Sorry. It doesn't say Emily's story start reading here. No because it would take longer than this. That's what I mean. Laura really likes using mental health terminology. She explores a lot of labels

from those therapists' influences online. She was told that she had an anxiety disorder and depression, but that's only diagnosis that she's been given so far. Recently, she's been exploring autism and ADHD. Matt wanted to propose to Grace. They've been dating for a while. He's been planning the proposal for a couple of weeks. And while the proposal was very intimate

between the two of them. I was very involved in scheduling the after-proposal event at a restaurant. The specifics of that are irrelevant to the story but it was lovely and Grace and Matt seemed really happy. Well done you. I know it's cute. Yora told us that she didn't want to be involved in the planning of the proposal because it reminded her of her parents divorce. I like her already. She said that she might come to the post engagement party, well come the day of the engagement and both Matt and I forgot to check in on Laura. I don't think it's Matt's fault as because he because after all he was occupied with far more

important things but I feel a bit guilty about not reminding her. She ended up not coming to the party. The next day she started posting online some dramatic for the lack of a better word. When you know who your friends are. When you know you know. Things about how it was traumatising to see how little her friends cared about her and that she's been updating her followers on her trauma therapy journey. She posts that she is now in a really dark place and thinks she might have PTSD. Fucking wides me up when people throw that around. For context, I'm pretty sensitive to mentions of trauma and PTSD because because I was diagnosed with PTSD by a psychotherapist, me too sister, in my last year of high school after something that had happened in my first. I

felt a lot of guilt and shame around this because I spent a lot of time feeling that the things that happened wasn't bad enough to count. I sometimes still get nightmares and flashbacks, but it's gotten better after therapy. I know that I have my own issues wrapped up regarding the word and it bothers me a lot when people seem to throw terms around without understanding their weight.

But I also acknowledge that I can't stop the internet from doing its thing. I haven't told any of my college friends about this, so Laura doesn't know. At one point she called me and started explaining how traumatised she is. And I finally snapped and said,'re not trauma traumatized stop being dramatic you just got exactly what you asked for now, I feel guilty because I feel like I was a little harsh and She posting and she's posting online without my name at least

that one friend without my name at least, that one friend that you thought you could rely to support you, her is a she is an abuser and doesn't understand how being traumatized works. However, I feel like honestly Laura's being very dramatic about an event that was not about her. I called my mum to see what her opinion is and she told me that I could have reminded Laura about the party and while my point is not necessarily wrong, I could have been more sensitive so now I'm not sure how wrong I am. Go! I think I think it's not about you and I think that you like you can't rely on this was about your friends these are people that you have spent the time with all the time these are your best friends so why did you need someone

else to remind you about the pie and why is it somebody else's responsibility? And why can't you put aside your trauma or whatever it is, because I'm not saying she ain't going for anything, to be in somebody else's moment. I don't really understand how you can't take yourself to be because I always say if I'm winning my friends are winning vice versa they're winning I'm winning because nothing brings me more joy than to see my friends accomplished be successful their families be happy and healthy that really is the ultimate goal that I want to see for my friends and family and anyone else really if I'm honest you know what I mean unless I hate you

but um you get what I'm saying like I really don't understand where you're like I can't come because this my car I keep touching your tit today because my auntie's uncle's brother's dog died goldfish died and uh I'm traumatized so if you could remind me closer to the time I mean about our best friends it's weird it's weird it's weird and everyone's openly talking about and if anything you weren't harsh enough yeah your mum your mum saying that oh or maybe you should have. She's probably a lovely, lovely person. Better person than me. Maybe you could have, but that ultimately isn't... I don't think so. But ultimately, that is not your responsibility.

Could you have? Yeah, you probably could have. I think if it's important enough, I don't need to... I might need reminding the dates, but then that is when I'll pick up the phone and go, when did you say it was, babe? Yeah, it's not your job. No, it's taking self responsibility, right? So...

Doesn't matter how traumatized you are. I'm sure this is going to be a shock to you, but she was deemed not the asshole. Yeah. Shocker. Top comment, not the asshole. I cannot stand people who throw around psychological terminology without actual meaning to describe just their normal feelings. The person is absolutely creating their own drama and you want no part of it. That's top comment. It wasn't too much of a harsh

one. I think she's just reached the point where she was really trying to make it about her other friends and this girl should have been and this girl had lack of attention and that's really what she's upset with I'm not saying her mum and dad divorcing did not upset her because I my parents was still you know still married until my mum's death but I so obviously I don't know what it's like to have separated parents but my point is I don't see I'm I'm struggling to see the connection between two of your best mates coming together and your parents are separated yeah I just struggling I'm struggling because they're two completely unrelated circumstances does that mean the girl's never going to get with anyone because it will remind her too much of her parents

divorced? It's weird, right? It's proper fucking weird. It's excuses. I don't think that... It's excuses. I don't think that even on the first Mother's Day after my mum died, I was like, sorry girls, I can't say happy Mother's Day because my mum's dead. Unless it was a joke. Mark Dunn, it's a joke to be fair. I mean, I did throw around, oh I'm really sorry I forgot because my mum's dead. But, you get what I'm saying. I think even I threw it around a little bit with you. It was a lack to get stuff in my beef heart. Let me in, my mum died.

It was awful. That's just trauma while we laugh. My point is, I don't think I ever threw that and did not. No, no, no. Not just my example, when you're divorced, I don't think you've ever not celebrated anniversaries of your friends because you've been through a divorce. Do you see what I'm saying? I think that if you ain't rooting... I know Key was really worked because through my separation, my separation went on for a few years didn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. In that time, very early in that time, Keyley got married but she was very... Was it early in that time? I was very drunk at her wedding. Yeah, I remember it was. Yeah, it was and she was really worried because she didn't want to put

her happiness and stuff on to me and I was like no no no you've missed it. I'm getting... I'm having a divorce. This is a good thing for me in long run. Nor did it relate to you in any way. At no point am I now bitter towards marriage or relationships or happiness or love. Right. Because these are amazing things. Were you separated Tasha's wedding? No. Okay.

Tasha, Sarah's, no. No. Just Keely's? Okay. Just Keely's. That wasn't, this is what I'm saying it's not like eight stone at Keely's. Good times. I was thin I know you didn't. I looked at those pictures and everything was just boning. I miss those days. But never at one point during

Keely's wedding did I ever think is Emily gonna be alright because it weren't about you. No it weren't about me. So I find at any point I felt I can't do this I would have just left like Keely I love you. It would have been weird for you to ever feel that way at somebody else's wedding. I I don't know if that's... I'm just celebrating one of my best friends. Yeah. Happiness. This was a great day.

That's what I'm saying. And this is why I really struggle to put myself in this woman's position where she's... You can't put... Because it's weird, right? No you can't. She is literally self-assault. She just needs... Self-assault.

Yeah. And... She's literally attention the victim victim a victim yeah all Tim a forever victim of herself herself right and we know those don't we so many right you can finish us off all right I've decided on this one but I'm not sure whether this is the right one to do but I'm gonna do this one anyway because I mean happening people so I must have missed the memo. Me too. And again, this is just short. It says clever comeback. We'll decide. We'll be the judge of that. Right. I'm a writer by nature so I love celebrating my singular instinct of quick thinking. Way back in high school our literature class was asked

to draw examples of political opinion cartoons. For additional context I am pre Dominican Republic? Shut up. Predominately. I can't even say. Predominately. Predominately. That'll do. A wheelchair user.

Predominately. Predominately. That is the word. Yes. A wheelchair user with limited mobility. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately.

Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Predominately. Pred predominately. That is the word. Yes. A wheelchair user with limited mobility. So when one group got up there in front of the class and

announced that a character in their cartoon was in a wheelchair because their life was over. Oh. I rather stunned myself at being able to instantly fire back. I must have missed that memo. Everyone seemed appropriately embarrassed and tried to backpedal but I'm sorry but I can't say I was particularly surprised or crushed. Um ableism is going ableism. Okay. Yeah. Um, I mean, I like his sense of humor. He took that to a good place considering, he said that really well. He could have been, you know, but at the same time in the carton, they were just trying to say that obviously when shit happens,

people do automatically think their life is over, but he did take it very well and he must hear stupid shit like that all the time i must be dead then yeah oh oh hold on yeah yeah go on but i haven't unclicked it. Yeah, you were over it. Very good, I wonder if they'd ever considered that you were in a wheelchair and clearly an actual person before that point. I hope they don't make the mistake more than once.

Do you know what? They forgot Larry was in the class babe. I don't think it was that. I think maybe that they're just, they're part of it and actually they don't consider you as a wheelchair user and labeled and actually you're just part of the class. I know, I see now like when you say that it's like our generation. Oh yeah I forgot you're in a wheelchair. Yeah, but we would have answered it. Sorry you're your dead girl we would have answered it like that would have been like a lot of people like shit yeah like panic when I worked in the nursing home and I had to do the lunch menus that day so obviously you know the more I read and write the

more it improves but I'm dyslexic no matter what was quite bad then right so I'll take a hand in these lunch menus and then she went oh I wrote these you junk idiot and I went I did I'm handing these lunch menus and then she went, I'm a junk idiot and I went, I did, I'm dyslexic. Her poor little face was just like. That's the best thing. You have that nap though, you do really have a real quick witted, the straight face. You can, yeah. And I went in, I did, I'm dyslexic, feel bad now.

But I was like, ha, don't worry babe! What did it say? I'm not idea! I'm that person that will go, I didn't mean it like that. I'm really sorry, I'm sorry, I'm not even in it. I'm not racist! I think the thing is... The panic. Yeah, but I think the thing is as well, generally, I my you know, that I've always been like I'm gonna get in there before you May I I already know I can't read and write. Oh burn. You know, I mean it was like me poor And he goes he went You can only try if not a bad egg and I was like, sorry was that a dick? Oh, no burn

a dick oh no burn but I can still drive I didn't I didn't really get that you could I know it's like oh oh no that hurt my feelings get a life mate so yeah things like that I just know I'm not? Burn! Right, that's it. I'm done. I'm done. Yeah. Goodbye my darlings. Peace out. O-Town.

Every time that goes in my head. Be good to people. That was quite a good song that was. Boo-Go! O-Town. Burn it. Burn it. Burn. BANIT BANIT BOW