Trigger warning: This letter contains themes of emotional abuse, toxic parenting, conditional love & neglect. Please read with care, and honour your limits. Your safety matters more than the story.
Written by Billie Moon | Illustrated by atom
I grew up in a house where love came with rules.
Where âI donât want you anymoreâ wasnât a heat-of-the-moment threat but a weapon. Where âyou should never have been bornâ was treated like fact. Where the people who were meant to protect us blamed us instead.
And still, I kept trying.
To be good. To be quiet. To be anything that might win their love.
Maybe you had parents like that too.
The kind who used fear as discipline. Who made you feel like love had to be earned. Like safety came with conditions. The kind who shattered things and then told you to clean up the mess.
Maybe they said it was your fault.
Maybe they blamed you for the family falling apart.
Maybe you kept hoping that if you were just betterâquieter, smarter, easierâtheyâd finally love you the way you needed.
But hereâs the truth:
We are worthy of love
We were just children, raised in a storm we didnât cause. Raised by people too toxic and broken to know how to love. They were supposed to keep us safe. Supposed to love us without making us earn it.
What they did to us wasnât parenting. It wasnât love. And it damn sure wasnât our fault. We donât have to keep carrying their damage or proving our worth.
So itâs time to be the safe place you never had, kid.
Youâve always been enough. Exactly as you are.
And youâre the one writing the story now.
Contributors
Aster Solenne (17, India)
Student, writer
Aster was told by someone she trusted that she was a mistake. That she shouldnât have been born. But even at 17, sheâs found the courage to speak up. Not just for herself, but for every child whoâs been made to feel like theyâre too much or not enough. âI want to tell them their stories matter tooâ, she said. âThat they deserve to love and trust themselves, and be loved backâ.
Debra King (46, New Zealand)
Author, poet
Debra grew up walking on eggshells and never knowing if love would come with silence, screaming, or sudden violence. Her motherâs unpredictable moods and emotional manipulation made her believe she was the problem. That she deserved it. âIf youâre stuck in the dark, I want you to know that there is a way outâ, she said. âYou were never meant to live afraid. You were meant to feel safe, seen, and freeâ.
Leo Chatterjee (46, United States)
Writer, artist
Leo spent their childhood navigating undiagnosed autism, a home filled with rage, and abuse no child should endure. They grew up believing they were bad, because thatâs what they were told. âItâs so important to know that you are worthy of loveâ, they said. âThat youâre not a bad kid, and it was the adults who failed youâ.
Billie Moon (42, Singapore)
Single mum, designer, author
Billie was locked in a storeroom as punishment when she was 6 and told she wasnât wanted. She was also forced to lie, blamed for her parentsâ unhappiness, and taught to carry emotions that never belonged to her. For years, she believed it was her fault. âI want to speak to every child who was failed by the people who were supposed to love them. You deserved better. You still doâ.
For the kid still listening
Who did you try so hard to become, just to feel wanted?
What were you blamed for that was never your fault?
What part of yourself did you silence to stay safe?
What kind of love do you actually deserve, and how can you start showing it to yourself?
What would you say to that younger you now?
How to submit your story
Want to get featured in our posts and eventually in our printed books?
Weâre gathering true stories to turn into weekly illustrated letters and a future print anthology. Every 15 letters will become an 80-page illustrated book you can hold, gift, or return to whenever you need to feel less alone. If your story is selected, youâll be tagged as a co-author in every post and credited in the final book.
Itâs simple! No fancy writing skills needed. Just head over to our submission form, and answer three questions:
In 10 words, what do you wish someone told you when you were younger?
What happened that made you realise that?
What do you hope someone else feels when they read this?
Weâll gather a few responses around each theme and shape them into one illustrated message, crediting each voice and including them in the final print volume. Weâll also ask for a few personal detailsâlike your age, location, or roleânot to label you, but to give readers context. To gently prove that this is universal. No matter where weâre from, how old we are, or what we do, we all carry a child who needed more.
Youâre welcome to submit more than once if different themes speak to you. Weâd love to hear them all. However, we only feature each emotional theme once. If a topicâs already been covered, we may reach out to suggest a different prompt.
Letâs build something that matters together.
If this letter hit home, drop us a comment, give it a restack, or share it to someone who needs it. Check out the rest of the Listen Up, Kid series while you wait for the next letter.
And if youâd like to help keep the lights on while I raise my daughter, two cats, and pour my heart into stories like this, consider becoming a paid subscriber, get my book, or simply a virtual hug filled with kindness. It makes a real difference.
 | A guest post by
|
 | A guest post by
|
 | A guest post by
|
 | A guest post by
|
Thank you Billie and Atom for creating a safe and beautiful space where our stories can exist raw, unpolished, and real. This kind of storytelling is what builds bridges, what makes our younger versions of us feel seen. To know that a piece of my story resonated, that it helped give shape to someone elseâs truth, means more than I can say. đ
Thank you so much for doing this. So empowering and meaningful đ