by Susannah Birch | Jan 15, 2015
Susannah Birch is an online writer who's survived childhood trauma and teenage issues. She is a birth doula, freelance journalist, online writer, survivor and activist. Below you will find an excerpt from her blog. To continue reading follow the link at the end.
"How can someone be dumb enough to believe a lie for 12 years?" The fact that I considered myself so web savvy was a big factor in why I did..."The email you supplied to us is linked to the Facebook account we've provided below. We believe Brent Murphy* is at least 60 years old."
I read the email in shock, not really believing the first few lines.
'I can't believe we've been talking on the Internet for 12 years,' I'd told Patrick Brent* just a few months earlier, 'It's amazing. But I feel like our busy lives stop us meeting in person and I really really want to meet you.'
I'd met Patrick in a teen chatroom, when I was 15, in 2002. He was 17 and in his last year of highschool. He lived just ten hours away from my Australian home, an amazing coincidence in a chatroom filled with Americans. I wasn't new to the chatroom scene; my house had had the Internet connected since I was 9, so I considered myself fairly web savvy.
Shy and inexperienced with boys, I was delighted to find a guy who I could have deep conversations with and who showered me with compliments. I wanted to impress him, so I read War and Peace and sparkled in the praise he lavished on my intelligence." . . .
Originally posted on Susannah's blog: susannahbirch.com
For help with your own survival from teenage trauma or abuse please don't hesitate to ask for help. You are never alone or trapped. There is always a way.
Love is Respect:
http://www.loveisrespect.org/Families:
http://www.burstingthebubble.com/Dating Violence
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teen_dating_violence.htmlSafety tips for teens:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/family-safety/predators.aspxMental Health
https://mhfa.com.au/cms/teen-mhfa-course-information
