(((((((PTSD)))))))

People think I am MUCH younger than I really am. When people don't know my kids, and hear I have a 14 year old, they are SHOCKED, really. One person told me that I have the "lavender light of childhood" about me. I told that to T and he smiled and said that is a perfect description. (which I think is a nice way of saying "child-like" lol)

I have talked to T about why people think I'm so young. I do have DID, and obviously, that is part of it. He told me that my teen part has an incredibly strong energy about her, and I wonder if that comes out sometimes. Also, I'm small, quite a bit smaller than most of the teens we know...my friends are LITERALLY always mistaking me for one of their kids when I am standing with our teenage kids, or when I'm walking towards them and they see me out of the corner of their eye. We took our kids on a field trip recently and the person selling the tickets counted me as a kid in the price until I pointed out I am a MOM. My kids love that.

I think part of it, though, is that I am very much "myself" with other people. T says it's "being authentic". Only about my happy emotions though (I still hide if I am sad...that is way too vulnerable for me). So, I am pretty "bubbly".

T told me once that everyone, especially people with trauma, has parts of themselves that haven't "grown up" and that part of therapy is helping them grow up.

Don't know if that helps, but that's my .02!