This chapter took me right back. The belt, the sudden rage over small things, and the way family closed ranks with excuses felt painfully familiar.
My parents beat us with belts and a thick wooden paddle with holes drilled in it that stung even worse. Sometimes we got it even when we weren’t the ones at fault.
I fought hard when they pulled me out of public school for a tiny church “school” that felt more like Jonestown. I got suspended for calling it that.
Like Lucia, I carried guilt but eventually chose myself. I fought my way back to public school in my junior year. Your portrayal of her quiet decision to call for help and walk out really moved me. Powerful writing.
Michael, thank you for trusting this space with something so painful.
I’m so sorry you lived through that. The belt, the sudden rage, the excuses, the way family can close ranks around harm instead of protecting the child. That kind of familiarity is heartbreaking, and I hate that Lucia’s experience reached you through something you know firsthand.
What moved me most in your comment is that you fought your way back to yourself. That is exactly what I wanted Lucia’s call for help to hold: not a grand heroic moment, but the quiet decision that she was allowed to choose safety.
I’m deeply grateful you read it with that much honesty. Thank you.
I again feel fortunate that I grew up in a home where this would have never been tolerated by either of my parents or by my grandparents.
And, as a former child protective investigator, I have witnessed dangerous situations, like the one Lucia is in, on far too many occasions.
It is never okay to excuse the behaviors of an abusive person. When Lucia’s grandma tries to justify her son’s behaviors, it broke my heart. Family abuse is cyclical and I hope Lucia is going to be strong enough to break the cycle.
Thank you for reading this with such care, Sheri. Coming from someone who has seen these dynamics professionally, your response means a great deal.
What breaks my heart about Lucia’s situation is how abuse often survives through justification. It is not only the person doing harm. It is also the people around them who explain it away, soften it, excuse it, or ask the victim to carry the burden of keeping the family intact.
Lucia’s grandmother believes she is protecting the family, but what she really protects is the cycle. That kind of damage becomes generational because silence starts to look like loyalty.
I’m so grateful this was never tolerated in your home. That kind of protection changes a child’s entire life. Lucia is trying to learn what no one taught her: that surviving is not the same as accepting, and breaking the cycle begins the moment she stops believing the abuse is hers to excuse.
This chapter took me right back. The belt, the sudden rage over small things, and the way family closed ranks with excuses felt painfully familiar.
My parents beat us with belts and a thick wooden paddle with holes drilled in it that stung even worse. Sometimes we got it even when we weren’t the ones at fault.
I fought hard when they pulled me out of public school for a tiny church “school” that felt more like Jonestown. I got suspended for calling it that.
Like Lucia, I carried guilt but eventually chose myself. I fought my way back to public school in my junior year. Your portrayal of her quiet decision to call for help and walk out really moved me. Powerful writing.
Michael, thank you for trusting this space with something so painful.
I’m so sorry you lived through that. The belt, the sudden rage, the excuses, the way family can close ranks around harm instead of protecting the child. That kind of familiarity is heartbreaking, and I hate that Lucia’s experience reached you through something you know firsthand.
What moved me most in your comment is that you fought your way back to yourself. That is exactly what I wanted Lucia’s call for help to hold: not a grand heroic moment, but the quiet decision that she was allowed to choose safety.
I’m deeply grateful you read it with that much honesty. Thank you.
I again feel fortunate that I grew up in a home where this would have never been tolerated by either of my parents or by my grandparents.
And, as a former child protective investigator, I have witnessed dangerous situations, like the one Lucia is in, on far too many occasions.
It is never okay to excuse the behaviors of an abusive person. When Lucia’s grandma tries to justify her son’s behaviors, it broke my heart. Family abuse is cyclical and I hope Lucia is going to be strong enough to break the cycle.
Thank you for reading this with such care, Sheri. Coming from someone who has seen these dynamics professionally, your response means a great deal.
What breaks my heart about Lucia’s situation is how abuse often survives through justification. It is not only the person doing harm. It is also the people around them who explain it away, soften it, excuse it, or ask the victim to carry the burden of keeping the family intact.
Lucia’s grandmother believes she is protecting the family, but what she really protects is the cycle. That kind of damage becomes generational because silence starts to look like loyalty.
I’m so grateful this was never tolerated in your home. That kind of protection changes a child’s entire life. Lucia is trying to learn what no one taught her: that surviving is not the same as accepting, and breaking the cycle begins the moment she stops believing the abuse is hers to excuse.