Yeah, I didn’t think German was anything special until a few years ago when I attended a German language group just for fun, on a whim. There was a native speaker there that I spoke to, and unexpectedly I just… I don’t even know.

Anyhow, we ended up dating for a while.

Still have a weakness for the German language.

Yeah, it wasn’t great. They didn’t believe in birth control and did very much believe that if they had another child, it was God’s will & He would provide.

We’re all pretty fucked up mentally. Don’t love that part.

Aye. Understanding it doesn’t make them easier to get along with.

My da has unprocessed trauma yet refuses to address it, saying that his mental illness is cured because of Jesus. And if I was a good Christian, I would be cured, too.

Like… my dude: a big part of my mental illnesses stem from my upbringing with you, but okay.

I don’t argue anymore. You can’t logic them out of something they didn’t logic themselves into.

My father is too far gone and considered an “intellectual” man. My mom thinks she’s “not that smart” (cool, thanks da), but she’s become so much more open and accepting as she’s gotten older and has shifted a lot of her views to be more progressive. Maybe because she realizes that my father, despite being very intelligent, is also an absolute moron who wrecks all his relationships. They’re still together, though.

Therapy can help you cope with the situation, yeah.

My siblings are almost fully split on our views on religion and stuff.

Youngest to oldest: pastor, party girl, anxious wreck withdrawn from society, ex-military, brow-beaten family man, severe mental-illness-ridden mother, literal cult member, golden child/took over family business, ex-Rainbow gathering stereotype, and depressed IT guy who loves drugs, dogs, and the outdoors.

Things get better when you get far away from parents like this. Seriously.