I’m tired of hearing how brave and strong and heroic the women in our families were. our mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers. they got arranged marriages at 18 and had eight kids in ten years because contraception wasn’t a thing. they had no education, no money of their own, no luxuries. they accepted what little the men in their lives gave to them. they were never allowed to even dream of a life outside of being a wife or mother. they were never allowed to even think that they wanted more. deserved more. they lived difficult lives. they were forced to be strong. they had no choice. they did their best to survive in the culture and society they were born into. their stories are not inspirational, they are heartbreaking.