• I deserve to have my needs fully and adequately met
• I deserve to have my needs fully and adequately met
• I deserve to have my needs fully and adequately met
• I deserve to have my needs fully and adequately met
• I deserve to have my needs fully and adequately met

Knowing I was a wanted child offers me no consolation. My parents decided to have a third baby. I was born into an Eden of family, church, and friends. However, as all good things must come to an end, our garden was torn apart when my parents separated. I suffered from what I refer to as “third child syndrome.” My elder siblings excluded me unless they had occasion for mockery or if they had desires that I could fill, such as running to the corner store to fetch a quart of ice cream. My amiable, eager to please personality was unable to recognize there was an option to say “no.” In my mind, I existed only to be of service to others. I had no voice, and I received no care in return. My broken, wounded family was a war zone where everyone was desperate to get their own needs met, and no one succeeded. After decades of believing I don’t deserve to have my needs met, I’ve come to the realization that I was merely trying to get my needs met from the wrong source.