Tuesday 27th September..

Another day in the life of a survivor..

After a really restless night I woke up several times in pain, I have spent most of this morning sleeping.. I have an abcess on a tooth and my face is swollen the size of a football.. its very tender and painful I have anti-biotics to take and can't wait for them to start working... The pain and location of pain is causing me to remember a time as a child where I was punched in the face by my step-father for not doing my chores quickly enough..

As a child growing up we all (my siblings and I) had set chores to do everyday, when we got home from school there would always be a note on the mantel piece stating who had to do what chore before Mum or him came home.. regularly I would have to either sweep the landing and stairs, with a dustpan and brush, or would have to clean out the fire grate.. my other siblings had various chores to do as well including cleaning the bathroom, making beds, tidying the lounge, preparing dinner etc.. anyways the day I am remembering I had got home late from school, everyone else had done their job and gone to the park, I was home finishing off when he came back early..I was about four steps from the bottom of the stairs when he appeared.. he asked me why I hadn't finished like the rest of them and I said I'd got held up in school talking to a teacher.. we couldn't admit that we had stayed back talking to friends else we were in trouble.. I thought the teacher was the best bet. Anyways I was wrong... I said I was nearly done and would be finished in five minutes.. That wasn't good enough for him though.. he told me it was meant to be finished BEFORE he got home, he didn't want to come home and find chores still being done and kids home.. he needed to relax after work.. I offered to make him a cup of tea so that he would calm down and let me finish.. he accepted my offer but when I took him the tea in the front room he suddenly started shouting at me, I said 'I need to finish up' at that he stood up and smacked me round the face... the pain I felt back then is very similar to the pain I feel today! my face went all red and as I tried to stop myself crying he shouted at me 'to get out of my sight'.. I went back to finish my job trying hard not to cry.. because I knew if I dared to cry he would just hit me again..

I can honestly say that I hate that man! He was my mum's partner for many years on and off, why she took him back I'll never know but she did.. often he would leave us and go back to his wife and family.. he had two daughters and a son with her and I often wonder if they got treated the same way as we did... How could she accept that he would leave her to come to us then return to her whenever he felt like it?

Why do women accept this type of behaviour from men? What can a woman do to prevent their men abusing their children? Simple really! Do NOT let them get away with it! If any future partner I have ever lays a hand or shouts out at my children they will be straight out the door, no questions asked and no excuses accepted...
It is totally unacceptable for anyone to Abuse Children they are innocent young people who are still learning right from wrong and need to be given the space to learn how to act in life... With gentle guidance and tolerance all children can be taught without the need to result to violence, all that does is teach them that violence is acceptable in todays society, but it isn't!