Why I needed to be single

Since the age of fourteen, I've gone from one long-term relationship (with a few flings in between) to the next. My formative years were heavily influenced by the guys I dated, especially because they were all at least three to four years older (what can I say, I like mature men). So as the cliched term goes, I needed to get to 'know' myself. But, more than that, I needed to get away from an emotionally abusive relationship.