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Little story I have as you can see a birthmark covering about a third of my face I’ve had a real love hate relationship with it

As a very young child when I was still living in Scotland people wouldn’t ask about it and many people assumed my parents hit me They’d look at me and glare and my parents But they didn’t care They just worried about me They knew there was a chance that once I hit my teens it would swell and sag as that can be rather common So I did have laser surgery on it to prevent

But my parents didn’t completely remove it because they always said that would be my choice.

Most of the time growing up (I was in England at this point) I didn’t even notice it aside from when I got the few disgusted faces every now and again.

However in school and especially high school it felt like everyday I was explaining what is was, I didn’t mind doing so, but the way people asked kind of stung. They asked in a way that made me feel like I had something wrong with me, that I wasn’t normal, that it was something unpleasant.

I was bullied a lot in school but not specifically for my birthmark, to this day I still don’t know why. (I just go with ‘because people suck") but they did use it a few times amongst other insults and such. But to get rid of anything they could pick on me for I started growing out and parting my hair in a way that would cover it completely and wearing a lot of makeup. I even went as far as going to a charity called Changing Faces which provides special makeup and other things to people with facial differences and began to fully cover my birthmark with it.

However I never wanted to get rid of it

Because I still loved it

When I look at myself in a mirror it looks a lot like Scotland where I was born. If I get any spots there they can’t be seen And to me it was pretty

As long as I was in the house.

Though there were many others who didn’t care about it or didn’t ask rudely about it and a small few who said it was nice and I thank them.

But then I moved to America

Since coming here I have never received a dirty or disgusted look from someone Barely anyone asks about it And even when they do its in such a nice way

Even someone, who in the way they seemed and the feeling I got form them reminded me of the people who bullied me, asked me what it was and after I told them they said it was really beautiful.

And all those people around me who just didn’t care about it and accepted it and my truly amazing friends who always make me feel so great about myself.

I stopped covering my face I stopped wearing makeup everyday I even felt confident enough to cut my hair short and fully show my face

Before I’d look at my birthmark and feel nothing but a bit of sadness Now when I very often forget about it and when I do notice it I fee so happy and I love it

And it great for funny things like twin day at school getting to copy it onto my friends faces

I’m so happy I never decided to get rid of it And I honestly don’t ever think I will remove it

It’s a part of me Where I come from It reminds me what I’ve gone through and how I’ll never be like I was again