Abuse?

As I shrink, so many things are happening in my life......as most of you know. I was raised in an alcoholic home.....My mother was sober for 14 years before she died in 2003 my father died drunk in 1999. Much of my childhood is a blurr with some vivid memories (good and bad) standing out at times. There was a LOT of abuse throughout my childhood. Some physical, some sexual (not by my parents), definately verbal and emotional. Through much therapy and support groups through the years, I've overcome and continue to overcome much of the emotional baggage associated with being raised in an abusive home. I just heard from a former coworker who's 10 year old child through her counselor at school revealed that her father has been sexually abusing her for at least 4 years. This takes me back to being 10 years old. I remember so well the pain of having to be the grown up to my drunk parents and being so confused when someone would touch me and I thought it was ok. I'm hurting soo bad for this child that it is heartbreaking. Would ya'll send some good thoughts out for this little girl who has been robbed of her childhood. Hugs, Kim

Good thoughts headed her way. It's weird, too, how, when you've been abused all your life, it's hard to understand that that's not how "normal" families live. Love, Joni

Kim, Thanks for letting us know and yes, I will most certainly keep this little one in my thoughts and prayers. I think a lot of times "normal" is a matter of perspective. I can remember as a girl of about 10 or 11, going to a friend's house and seeing intoxicated and obnoxious parents and being shocked and realizing that everybody's home wasn't like mine. I thought everybody's family was loving and supportive. It caused me from a very early age to be conscious of other people...not just to be conscious, but to be kind. It wasn't until years later that I learned my older sister had been molested as a child by an older cousin. She said that it only happened a couple of times and then it stopped and never happened again. To this day, I don't know if she ever told our parents.