My Family Always Told Me I Was a “Dumb Girl.” They Were Wrong.

My Family Always Told Me I Was a “Dumb Girl.” They Were Wrong.

As told to Nicole Audrey SpectorOctober 10, 2025, is World Mental Health Day.I was the third of four children, each four years apart, and the only female. That last part wasn’t a good thing in my family. Girls, I was taught, were dumb. In my home, there was a hateful mantra directed at me: “Don’t be a dumb girl.” My family would shorten it to an acronym, “DBADG.” Anytime I did something that made me look feminine or weak, I’d hear those letters.…