Molested and Confused

I am 23 years old now, wit a daughter of my own and I could never imagine how anyone can touch a child inappropriately that they raised, but somehow my stepfather managed. A couple months after I turned 18 our family was going through some tough times. Our electric was cut off from failure to pay. It was winter time so we all slept in the living room to conserve heat. My parents were always really cool so we were smoking weed and taking shots of tequila. On this night my brothers weren’t home so I slept on the king size air mattress with my parents. In the middle of the night I felt someone putting their hand in my pants. For some reason I thought it was my mom at first like maybe sleep walking type of thing but then I heard my mom coughing in the bathroom. Fear shuddered down my body while I realized that it was the man who has been my father since I was 5 years old, molesting me, touching me in a way that he never should have. He quickly stopped at the sound of my mother’s return to the bed. I didn’t sleep a wink the rest of the night and I told my mom the next morning. She punched him in the face and we stayed with my grandparents for a few weeks but they worked it out and we all agreed to act as though it never happened and wE have come a long way. But it’s hard sometimes. I will never forget it.

— Survivor, age 23