I totally agree with you. I was involved in unwanted sexual activity from an adult (well he tried but mostly failed) when I was 9 or 10 and I don’t feel it was traumatizing at all. I thought it was weird that everyone I talked to said it would emotionally damage me for life, while I just thought it was a bit weird, and (darkly) humorous in a way.
On the other hand, I was in an abusive, but basically consensual relationship when I was 19 and it has absolutely left me with emotional scars, but I felt like I didn’t get a lot of support because “I’m an adult now” and “I chose it”.
I also had a close friend of mine sexually assault me when we were both 15. That was awful as well, but my parents encouraged me to keep being friends with her because she was just “a sheltered curious teenager” and we had been friends for a long time.
I feel like the most traumatic and emotionally difficult times of my life were when I was 18-early 20s, because there’s such a huge shift in expectations at that age, but a lot of the sympathy and support one gets as a minor is taken away.
I totally agree with you. I was involved in unwanted sexual activity from an adult (well he tried but mostly failed) when I was 9 or 10 and I don’t feel it was traumatizing at all. I thought it was weird that everyone I talked to said it would emotionally damage me for life, while I just thought it was a bit weird, and (darkly) humorous in a way. On the other hand, I was in an abusive, but basically consensual relationship when I was 19 and it has absolutely left me with emotional scars, but I felt like I didn’t get a lot of support because “I’m an adult now” and “I chose it”. I also had a close friend of mine sexually assault me when we were both 15. That was awful as well, but my parents encouraged me to keep being friends with her because she was just “a sheltered curious teenager” and we had been friends for a long time. I feel like the most traumatic and emotionally difficult times of my life were when I was 18-early 20s, because there’s such a huge shift in expectations at that age, but a lot of the sympathy and support one gets as a minor is taken away.