Domestic Violence

I am recently coming out of a very abusive relationship. In the past two months I have fallen in love with the man of my dreams. He has known about my previous relationship but I just recently gave him most details so he can support me through this. This conversation has brought us to a really hard place.

My current boyfriend doesn't understand how the woman he knows could have possibly been the weak person subject to abuse time and time again. How do I make someone understand the dynamics of domestic violence and move forward from here?

- 20, Colorado

I understand how difficult this must be, especially after you trusted him with very personal information. If your boyfriend is not familiar with domestic violence, he may not understand how this can affect someone. Domestic violence doesn't just affect "weak" women; domestic violence affects all sorts of women regardless of who they are.

One thing you may want to consider is to share with him information on domestic violence. Perhaps if he learns more about this issue he will begin to understand how this was difficult for you and how difficult it is for ANYONE that goes through it, and give you the support you need. And don't forget that support for each other is important to have a healthy relationship.

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