Mariposa

Mariposa’s Blog features real experiences and emotions written by a mother and her daughters. Together they cover various aspects in relation to the journey of life, such as emotions, fertility, domestic violence, student struggles, female issues, teen problems, health and childhood education material and much more.

Click here to check out Mariposa's Blog bio as well as a list of all its Wham published articles

sexual marital abuse

Everyone had warned me, but I did not listen. I chose not to listen. I ignored them all. Family, friends, people who genuinely cared… I swear, I didn’t do it on purpose. Yet, in the state of mind that I was in, I did just that. Why is it that by having a good forgiving heart I keep on enabling myself to be abused over and over and over again? Why is it that my trust has to keep on being broken? Why can’t I learn to put myself first, once and for all, and not fall for fake promises of change? Why do IRead More…

it's okay not to be ok

Being diagnosed with social anxiety was one of the weirdest and unexpected things I have ever experienced. This is why… I have always been seen as a social butterfly. One who smiles at strangers. One who wins silly dance competitions during parties. One who communicates and compliments everyone who crosses her path. Meanwhile, another side of me always feared judgement. So despite the positive social approach I exhibited at times, I was still one who sat at the back of the class so other students would not mock her behind her back. One who would prefer to be in bed at 10pm watching a seriesRead More…

coming out

I have been debating on whether or not I should write this article ever since I found out that an awareness day on Coming Out exists somewhere in the world. However, fear stopped me from doing so; fear of judgement, fear of harassment, fear of being discriminated against, and so on. I thought about putting this article in my name, yet I am still not ready for some reactions I may get – writing it anonymously dissociates me from being the writer, thus certain criticism can be taken less harshly. The downfall to this is that if it were to be in my name, thoseRead More…

no means no

Your persistence is not flattering. There was a time in my life where i would say “I’m sorry” after such a statement, but I realise I shouldn’t be sorry for speaking out the truth. There was also a time where I would view statements like “let me drive you home” and “we should meet up, you know, to have a pizza on Tuesday”, as interest in a positive way. But repeating yourself and staying persistent cancels out the positive thoughts that I could have developed about you. I should not tell you “no” a thousand times for you to understand that I do not wantRead More…

domestic abuse

No one is perfect, neither is a family, regardless of how ‘picture-perfect’ it seems. Conflicts and disagreements are part of any relationship: they can improve who we are and the relationships we are in. However, when taken to the extreme, these can have horrible effects on the people primarily involved, as well as those watching…usually children. This is exactly what happens in domestic abuse situations. From an outsider’s point of view, my family is perfect: my father works very hard in order to provide food on the table, my mother provides everything else for us, and my siblings and I get along quite nicely. WhileRead More…

sarah everard murder

The name Sarah Everard travelled the whole world in less than one month, as the beautiful woman behind it disappeared in South London on the way home from her friend’s house. Days after, police confirmed that the remains of the deceased body they had found were in fact Sarah Everard. This horrible incident led to an outpouring across different types of social media from women sharing experiences of harassment and assault, as well as what they do to feel ‘safe’ while walking the streets. While reading, I too started remembering and identifying some actions that I am used to doing while I am out. Actually,Read More…

low self esteem

I always surprise people whenever I start talking about my memories. “You have such a great memory!” they say. However, I know that this is not always the case. I forget simple insignificant things, yet when it comes to thoughts that my subconscious mind deems meaningful, they seem to be imprinted in my mind forever. Whilst writing this I realise that the images that keep replaying in my mind when I am feeling down have all contributed to my low self esteem. It’s unbelievable how one word spoken to us during our childhood can have such an impact on us throughout our life. I rememberRead More…

pro-life pro-choice

I am pro life. I value life. I love everybody wholeheartedly, even those who have wronged me in the past, and I value everyone’s potential. I was raised to value every potential life in the same way I value children, adults and every other living being. Thus, I have been calling myself pro-life ever since I can remember. I’ve had my share of struggles in life, including unexpected pregnancies which I must admit have left a dramatic impact on my life especially during those times. I had to do it all alone, with very little help. I know what it means to suffer from post-natalRead More…

how can I leave him

“How can I leave him?” – So many women feel chained by their abusers, yet for some, the pain that comes with this can never be understood… How many times do we hear victims of domestic violence being judged for staying in abusive relationships when they could just run away? I’ve personally witnessed these type of judgements over and over, especially in social media… “If she stayed it’s because she was still living comfortably”… “I don’t believe this story…why would a woman stay in such a toxic relationship? She must be lying, this can’t be true!” “Why would she subject her children to all thatRead More…

sexual and emotional abuse

This is my story. A true story of almost two decades of marital sexual and emotional abuse where I had to sacrifice my own happiness… We tend to look at couples and remark about how their lives look, from our own perspective. Truth is, no one knows exactly what happens behind closed doors unless they are with them. This is my story. A true story of almost two decades of marital sexual and emotional abuse … before and during marriage. A story where like any other mother, I had to sacrifice my own happiness for my own children’s…or so I thought at the time. TheRead More…