Profound, John. And you have every right to "complain." In fact, complain is not even the right word, as you already know. It's simply the right to be heard, with sympathy, with understanding, and without shame.
I wasn't beaten -- much -- as a child. The emotional assaults were more prevalent than the physical ones, and the most stand out physical assaults came from my nominal "peers", and in forms where I was not allowed to fight back (non-penetrative sexual assault.)
The one time my father seriously beat me was shortly after I'd been arrested for possession of pot. He hit me in the chest with a closed fist, and I just stood there and took it. Likely he cracked a rib. My mother, who had been a nurse, bound my chest, but never took me to the doctor. Even in 1971 that could have triggered an abuse inquiry.
Profound, John. And you have every right to "complain." In fact, complain is not even the right word, as you already know. It's simply the right to be heard, with sympathy, with understanding, and without shame.
I wasn't beaten -- much -- as a child. The emotional assaults were more prevalent than the physical ones, and the most stand out physical assaults came from my nominal "peers", and in forms where I was not allowed to fight back (non-penetrative sexual assault.)
The one time my father seriously beat me was shortly after I'd been arrested for possession of pot. He hit me in the chest with a closed fist, and I just stood there and took it. Likely he cracked a rib. My mother, who had been a nurse, bound my chest, but never took me to the doctor. Even in 1971 that could have triggered an abuse inquiry.