Abuse was part of every day life
My father sexually and physically abused me as a child. He also physically abused my mother and brother. He would take pleasure in punishing us for silly things. Any little thing we did that he felt was bad, would be cause for a beating. He mostly used a belt for me and my brother. He struck and struck us and wouldn’t stop until he drew blood. It was embarrassing going to school, especially in the Summer time when our legs and arms were exposed. But the other kids knew, because they suffered the same in their households. Physical abuse by parents wasn’t something that was considered bad at that time. It was just how you raised your kids.
My father reigned king supreme of the household. In the summer time, we would have to fan him to keep him cool. If he made jokes, we would have to laugh or we would get a beating. He would use crass and inappropriate language and taught that to us. If he didn’t like the food my mother made, he would throw the plates against the wall and order her to clean it up. If he thought we were whispering or talking in too low of a voice, we would get a beating, because that meant that we were mocking him. One day my brother got punished with a severe beating, and then he had him stand in a corner facing the wall with his hands up for several hours. And then when dinner time came, he made me go up to him with my plate and eat next to him. I cried and cried, and said to my brother, “I’m so sorry….I’m so sorry”. And he stood there with his arms up. He was so hungry. He was just a little boy. I was just a little girl. And my father, meanwhile, stood laughing.
Another time, my mother had had enough and she seemed to have literally lost her mind. We witnessed her climbing onto the window sill to try to jump out. We were just young kids at the time. We were crying and pleading for her to come back down. Meanwhile, my father just mocked her and yelled at her. But I could tell that he was scared. He knew that he had gone too far.
– – Anonymous
