Lately, I have been thinking about people who are in toxic relationships and why they stay. The number one reason that comes to mind is that at least one person does not believe that he/she deserves better. This all comes back to how much we value ourselves and how much we think we are worth.
When someone yells at us or calls us names, we accept this behavior because we believe we deserve this kind of treatment. We may believe that we said something that caused this reaction, we should have left the other person alone, or maybe this person is the best there is because we don’t feel that we are attractive enough or smart enough to do better.
I am not saying anything that has not been said before but I believe it can never be said enough. We need to raise our children to believe that they are beautiful and smart. They need to believe that they should never become the physical or verbal punching bag for another person. We need to teach our kids that walking away from a relationship does not demonstrate failure but instead, it displays an incredible amount of courage, will, determination, and perseverance. Walking away from a toxic relationship demonstrations a great deal of self awareness and maturity. I am saddened for those who stay in these relationships because I see so many broken spirits and so much unhappiness.