TW: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse mentioned.

As an adult, when I ask if this sentence sounds familiar to other adults in my life we can all laugh and joke about how we all went through this.

Yet also as an adult. My inability to cry when near others is a clear cut example of how damaging repeated threats to a child who's already distressed can be.

This phrase can be so triggering to me but only in the form of anger. I feel so bad for my younger self.

I was a small human being, being threatened of physical violence on the regular for minute things. It didn't help that my parental figure was really strong, often breaking things when in a blind fit of rage.

As a small child, you see plates shattering on the wall. Pieces flying everywhere because you weren't eating dinner fast enough. You think "that could've been me".

You see the ironing board bent in half during an argument. The clothing iron itself broken and dismantled from being hit too harshly against the board. You think "that could've been me".

You see your dog taking the brunt of it, being told it was going to be shot and killed for simply being a dog. And you think "that could've been me".

You see your little brother be downright tortured for a little mistake. You can't help but hear the screams as you think to yourself "it could've been me."

You'd feel relieved by hearing the words "Just get out of my face." when being scolded. You wouldn't end up bent, broken and hit like the others.

Parents. Stop threatening and abusing your fucking kids for once. It's not their fault and it will never be their fault that you're an incompetent parent. I will never in my life be able to look at a small, fragile being and think of ever threatening them and laying a hand on them. Never.