Disrespect May Only be the Beginning

When it comes down to it, John’s comments may be rude, disrespectful, degrading, and so much more but some people may just say, “Well, those are just words, maybe he doesn’t mean it.” There are; however, many instances where disrespectful words are just the beginning to a long cycle of abuse.

Abuse within a relationship is an extremely important issue that we all should be educated about, and because the issue I am addressing of disrespect seems to be closely related to dating violence I think it’s important that I do my part of informing all of you.

Signs you are being abused (According to Love is Respect)

When your significant other does any of the following:

• Looks at you or acts in ways that scares you
• Acts jealous or possessive
• Puts you down or criticizes you
• Tries to control where you go, what you wear or what you do
• Texts or calls you excessively
• Blames you for the hurtful things they say and do
• Threatens to kill or hurt you or themselves if you leave them
• Tries to stop you from seeing or talking to friends and family
• Tries to force you to have sex
• They hit, slap, push or kick you

Signs that you are being abusive (According to Love is Respect)

When you:

• Call your significant other names?
• Text or call them excessively and get upset when they don’t respond
• Monitor their email, calls, texts, or profile on a social networking sites
• Feel you have a right or need to know where they are most of the time
• Get jealous or angry when they spend time with friends or family
• Ask them to change their clothes or style of dress
• Get in their face during a disagreement
• Push, slap, or punch them for any reason
• Restrain them to keep them from leaving during an argument
• Guilt or force them into having sex
• Threaten to hurt them or yourself if your relationship ever ends

If you  or anyone you know may be in an abusive relationship, please, get help right away. You can confide in a friend, a mentor, or call a hotline. Abusive relationships are incredibly difficult to get out of, but the most important thing for your safety is to remove yourself from the situation before things get worse. For more information and personal insight into dating violence, read Sarah Van Zanten’s blog.

National Dating Abuse Hotline:

1-866-331-9474

Visit loveisrespect.org for more information on dating violence!