This may be long, sorry.
My mum and dad split up when I was 9 and my mum quickly entered a new relationship with my step dad. He is controlling and emotionally abusive and I was always scared of him and his nasty mood swings growing up.
When I was 18 and in college, I “blossomed” into a pretty young woman, I had a nice figure and was starting to get attention from men for the first time. Around this time my step dad took an unhealthy interest in me, he started to take photos of me when I wasn’t looking. For example when my back was turned he would take a photo or if my door was ajar and I was sitting on my bed he would walk past and sneakily take a photo, I found lots of photos of me on his camera by accident and was very upset. He also used a small mirror to look under my door at what I was doing, he looked through my things when I was out and would look at my phone if I was having a shower (once he accidentally took a photo of himself looking at the phone and this is how I knew what he was doing). I didn’t say anything to him or my mum as I was scared that things may escalate. I used to dread being alone with him if my mum was out. I eventually told my mum and he denied it all except for looking through my phone - he said he only looked as he wanted to know if I had a boyfriend. So that was that, my mum told him not to look at my phone again and it was never spoken about again.
Looking back I wish I had moved out but I felt bad for leaving my mum alone with him.
Since having my DD (now 15 months) I can’t stop thinking back to my childhood and how messed up it was. I am now incredibly private and go mad if my DP takes a photo of me without permission or sneaks up behind me. I feel on edge all of the time and I’m struggling so much to spend any time with my mum or step dad
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