Stutterer for 20 years, taking it one day at a time ❤️ My story.

Stutterer for 20 years, taking it one day at a time ❤️ My story. Hello everyone. I have just found this community of stutters just like me! I thought I would share my story. I started stuttering right after my parents divorce at age 3. Both my parents at the time were very impatient with me, but they eventually grew to love it and help me. I would get very frustrated with myself even at 3 years old, both my parents used to bring me to speech therapy but it also never really seemed to help. As I grew up, it got better a little but also got much worse mentally wise. It seems the more I grew up, the more insecure I felt about it. It got to the point (in those rough middle school years) that I would lay in bed every night, and think about how much I stuttered that day and just sob. My parents would often say “you’re better than this!” about my stutter and that definitely did not help either. During these years, teachers definitely did not help with my stuttering insecurity. One even told me that “How long is it going to take you to spit it out?” and some has also laughed in my face when I stuttered to them. Which definitely made it worse. Although I am grown up now, their words still play in my head. Whenever I got to college, I took online classes only so others could not hear me stutter because I was so embarrassed. Luckily during high school and middle school, I made great friends who did not mind my stutter at all and loved to listen to me talk. I did not attend college in real life because I knew I would probably not be that lucky to find great friends like that again. I finally got my degree and knew I had to start applying for jobs. Because I did online school, I had a lot of time and graduated super early so I was very young (19) When I landed my first job interview, I stuttered a ton and the person over the interview told multiple people that I seemed “nervous” and would not fit in for that job. Luckily, they decided to give me a chance. I am at a job I love and I have a great time doing it! For stutters out there like me, it all works out in the end I promise! I do not hide my stutter anymore but I still do sometimes feel insecure about it, especially over the phone. I feel like each day it gets better. My co workers are always so patient with me and I am so grateful. I have been in denial about my stutter for years, but since I have landed this job I have became more accepting of it. A stutter is something you feel very alone with. Especially when people around you do not have one. I just want everyone with a stutter that you are NOT alone and that you are loved by many.