Hi Katie,

Congratulations on learning on your own that you are in charge of your opinion of you.  You are and always will be enough in any regard, because you are responsible for your own self-image. Those boys were responding to your confidence.  The choice to be confident will get you far in life.  Keep at it.

In regard to your cousin and aunt, those belittling comments do count as verbal abuse. Your cousin absolutely could be hurt by her mother’s choices.  However, remember that it is your responsibility to take care of you, not fix her.  There are a couple of important choices you could make:  Decide whether or not you want to maintain a positive relationship with your cousin by being kind, supportive, and communicative with your cousin if you would like. Also, if you ever decide to consult local adults about how your aunt treats your cousin or how your cousin treats you, make sure you report it to a school psychologist, counselor, or social worker (These are the staff that can maintain anonymity).

Also, though this is a great community of support, please remember that users, such as myself, and this site are not intended to provide and do not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. Nothing here is designed to replace medical or psychiatric treatment.

Sincerely,

Melinda