This is a very powerful and important story, Linda. I don't know if I was raised to be nice, but being nice and being good were the best options when living with a narcissistic father. I never had the horrendous experiences you've had with men - well, once - but I've never been given my due, paid what I was worth, or valued in any of my many roles because I was always nice and polite and accommodating. We are trained, even if indirectly, to be good girls, nice girls, girls that say yes when they want to say no.

You've done nothing wrong. You were what your family, society, and experiences created. Now, you are coming into your own, at a much younger age than I did.