‘I accidentally left my son’s sippy cup on the top of the car at a gas station and ended up with bruises on my arms.’: Domestic violence survivor urges ‘there is no excuse for abuse’

Disclaimer: This story contains details of abuse that may be triggering to some.

“November 14th…

I accidentally left my son’s sippy cup on top of the car at the gas station and it flew off as we drove away.

My son ended up throwing up shortly after, so we stopped at a McDonald’s to clean everything up.

I was still getting yelled at for forgetting to pack an extra drink for our son and leaving his cup on the top of the car.

As I was giving my son a toy to calm him down, my husband slammed my arm in the car door because he was furious with me.

It was so late and only getting later.

I forgot to pack an extra drink for our son.

My husband worked all day, so he was tired.

Our son was screaming bloody murder for a good 15 minutes because we couldn’t find a gas station off the highway and he needed something to drink.

I lost his favorite cup because I accidentally left it on top of the car.

Our son threw up all over himself and the car because he was allergic to the milk we got him from the gas station (before we found out about all his allergies.)

The high-pitched screaming started again because now our son was covered head to toe in vomit and the car and smelled awful.

My husband took the wrong turn getting onto the highway and then ended up missing an exit.

My husband was so, so angry at me.

If only I remembered those two things…

It was all my fault.

I used to give so many excuses for my ex’s behavior. I used to blame MYSELF for his actions.

I can’t tell you how long it took me to realize it wasn’t my fault. It’s so easy to find reasons to blame yourself when you’re constantly told everything is your fault even when it’s not at all.

No matter how many different frustrating things happened, there was NO excuse for him to purposely cause me physical harm. There is absolutely NO excuse for anyone to act that way towards anyone. Period.

I shared this photo because I felt comfortable sharing it…and hopefully someone who needs to hear it’s not their fault in an abusive relationship is reading this right now! There will never be an excuse for abuse, ever!

I hope I can save someone’s life by sharing bits and pieces of my story.

I am a survivor of DV.”

[If you are seeking help, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org to live chat with someone 24/7. Help is out there and you are not alone.]

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Annie Hartigan. You can follow her journey on Facebook and Instagram. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more from Annie:

‘He’s too big to be held.’ ‘Stop treating him like a baby.’ I will hold my son until I physically can’t anymore.’: Mom urges ‘stop treating boys like they are grown adults’

‘I’ve ghosted men, cancelled dates, and backed out of becoming official because it didn’t feel right. I’m done apologizing.’: Single mom says ‘settling is something I’ll never do again’