Bipolar Mum Journey

People use the term “working class,” but growing up, I didn’t even feel like working class. I felt worse, like I was at the very bottom of the barrel. A junkie’s rejected daughter, My mum and stepdad never worked (until later in life), they claimed benefits for as long as I can remember. Even though my grandma raised me, she allowed my mum to claim benefits on my behalf. So, my mum had the privilege of receiving free money but none of the responsibilities of raising me full time.

There was a small group of us growing up, one of my friends was mixed race, another girl was in foster care, another was raised by her dad, and then there was me, raised by my adoptive grandmother. We were our own little group, practically outcasts, simply because we didn’t fit into societal norms. It’s hard to describe the feeling of being rejected by society, it leaves a lasting impact, making you question, What’s wrong with me?

But in some ways, being an outsider shapes you. It gives you a strong personality because you’re eager to be accepted, so you learn to be funny and entertaining. Since I was my grandmother’s source of entertainment, I picked up on this skill naturally. Growing up I never had many aspirations in life, as I had to concentrate on keeping my head above water. However, I’ve always wanted to make people laugh and feel a little lighter. Something I hope I do for most.

I joke about things like violence because I grew up in a time when saying something mean could get your teeth knocked out, there was no hiding behind a screen like today. I was a fighter, and if you disrespected my family, you disrespected me. Yet, living in the snowflake society that we do, I find my sense of humour offends most. 🙄

Between raising awareness for child exploitation, rape, domestic violence and mental illness. I try to hold onto my personality because that’s what got me through the hardest times. I do my best not to dwell on the past and to brush things off. We may have grown up as “bottom-of-the-barrel” kids, but, my god, did it give us strength and a sense of humour.