Realizing my entire childhood was a lie. How long was your denial phase?

I didn’t fully realize how messed up my childhood was until I started schema therapy last year. Emotional neglect is invisible too so this made it even harder.

Here are my reasons as to why I was in denial for so long.

1: I was busy with school/college or boys since I figured it would be easier to hurt over “normal” things (I’m 21 now).

2: I always imagined I was a happy child, but never because of my parents. It was the YouTubers and iPads that essentially raised me and helped me escape how my parents neglected us.

3: We struggled so much financially that I tried to come from a place of understanding and making excuses for the neglect and abuse because my parents were having a “hard time”.

How long were you in denial and why?