I Am a Child Abuse Survivor
Not all monsters are hiding under the bed, for many the monsters are the very ones that are supposed to love and protect. The world is a scary place for children and when they are not even safe in their own homes life is a living nightmare.
Society can be judged on the way it treats it's most vulnerable. While no one would argue that the system is severely flawed, it's not the system that failed me. It was rather the other adults that knew of the abuse and chose to turn a blind eye. As a child it made me believe that I was worthless if others didn't care then it was the only explanation. As an adult I asked those that could have helped and didn't. I was stunned by the lack of remorse, although I can now see I shouldn't have been. Looking at things now with an adult perspective it's clear how utterly selfish these people were. They didn't want to go out of their way for anything but themselves and had no problem throwing a helpless child on the alter of their own happiness and security.
My Aunt now 81 and feeble calls, she's crying because my mother shoved her. What did she expect? My mother has always been a bully she will never change and no one has ever challenged her. Her own grandchildren want nothing to do with her and she is desperate to exhibit her nastiness. As a grown woman and not some helpless child she should have said something to finally put the bully in her place, she could cut off all contact with hers sister as she is under no obligation to be a punching bag. She said and did nothing, and neither did I. Instead I was simply grateful that this was a phone call and not in person where she could see me rolling my eyes in disgust at the utter selfishness.
You may only be one person in the world, but you may be the world to one person. My life could have been so much different if just one person had cared. Keep this in mind please when dealing with children and young people.
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Society can be judged on the way it treats it's most vulnerable. While no one would argue that the system is severely flawed, it's not the system that failed me. It was rather the other adults that knew of the abuse and chose to turn a blind eye. As a child it made me believe that I was worthless if others didn't care then it was the only explanation. As an adult I asked those that could have helped and didn't. I was stunned by the lack of remorse, although I can now see I shouldn't have been. Looking at things now with an adult perspective it's clear how utterly selfish these people were. They didn't want to go out of their way for anything but themselves and had no problem throwing a helpless child on the alter of their own happiness and security.
My Aunt now 81 and feeble calls, she's crying because my mother shoved her. What did she expect? My mother has always been a bully she will never change and no one has ever challenged her. Her own grandchildren want nothing to do with her and she is desperate to exhibit her nastiness. As a grown woman and not some helpless child she should have said something to finally put the bully in her place, she could cut off all contact with hers sister as she is under no obligation to be a punching bag. She said and did nothing, and neither did I. Instead I was simply grateful that this was a phone call and not in person where she could see me rolling my eyes in disgust at the utter selfishness.
You may only be one person in the world, but you may be the world to one person. My life could have been so much different if just one person had cared. Keep this in mind please when dealing with children and young people.
