You do not need a guy to make you feel beautiful. You are beautiful on your own.
You're worth more than what your boyfriend is telling you that you're worth. Don't allow him to take rough housing too far, covering those bruises, those scars is traumatizing. The time your dad grabbed your arm and saw that bruise, he knew..and he truly wanted to believe you when you told him you hit it on a door the day before. When he grabs you, your neck, your arms, whatever, when he starts hurting you, you let him know. The second it goes that far, say you want out and mean it. Get out.
Don't ask to be friends with the BOYS who want to act like men for the sake of you coming to terms with your past. Don't let them pressure you into doing things you're not comfortable doing. Don't let them threaten your life or theirs without reporting it to someone. Don't allow them to put you in a situation that you risk what you truly want for your future.
Be with someone who strengthens you, who benefits you, who makes you happy. Don't be with someone who tears down your confidence or makes you feel obligated to change who you are because of their insecurities. Be with someone who doesn't allow alcohol and partying stop them from their life goals; be with someone who is achieving their goals faster or as fast as you are achieving your own.
When your friends start to see you pull away, run as fast as you can towards them. Anyone tearing down your support system is trouble. Anyone telling you not to be friends with guys, or even the girls that don't approve, is not worth it. Your friends, and family, can see someone's true colors far faster than you will.
Every guy is different, despite what women in society say. Not every guy will treat you as if you're worthless. Not every guy will talk poorly about you or depict you in a light that is not true. You know the truth, and so does he. He knows he lost a beauty.
When your loving mother cries after your drunken trip to the hospital to rid your mind of the horrors for just one night, tell her you love her. Tell her it's not her fault. Tell her she's beautiful and that she raised a woman who can stand her own ground. She raised a woman who is strong, who is independent, who is confident, and who will never let a man define who she is. Tell her that she taught you that "a man is not a plan."
