
This child abuse story from Theresa page was created July 29, 2007 and was originally posted to my child abuse stories page on July 19, 2007 as story #161.
Theresa is from Harrington, Delaware, USA
The following child abuse story from Theresa depicts: physical abuse, emotional abuse, child neglect, and sexual abuse
The child abuse effects on Theresa: feelings of betrayal, feeling of being dirty, Theresa ran away when she was 16 years old and now suffers from anxiety, depression and low self-esteem
I remember peaking out of the mesh of my playpen, listening to my mother screaming at me. I remember how frightened I was. I vividly remember repeated beatings, my head being banged into the wall, repeatedly being made to stand in one spot without being allowed to move. And if I moved, I was punched or smacked. I remember being locked in my room for 3 days because I wet my bed and my mother shoving food under the door. Constantly I was told I would never be any good or amount to anything and that she was sorry that I had ever been born. I'm the middle of 4...I wondered if she felt that way about the others. She didn't beat them.
In addition, both parents were alcoholics, and my mother began using drugs. At one point, I think I was about 7, I started being required to do all the household chores, including laundry. Needless to say, I didn't to a very good job, but I began the behavior of killing myself to please her. Of course, it never worked, and was never good enough, I wasn't good enough.
I remember being burned so badly because she woke me up in the middle of the night to fix her coffee. Being half asleep, I poured scalding hot coffee all over my left hand. She would not take me to a doctor or hospital for treatment. She kept me out of school until the burn was partially healed.
I remember being sexually molested by my father, grandfather and an uncle. How dirty I felt. My own mother would not believe me, and then even turned around to blame me if it did happen.
One day at age 16, my mother started in on me once again, and I raised my hand to hit her back. That was all she wrote, so to speak. She beat me mercilessly. In order for her to stop beating me, I pretended that I passed out. She dragged me through our apartment, dropped me in the tub, and turned cold water on me.
The next opportunity I got, I left home and never went back.
It has been an uphill battle, with anxiety and depression, self esteem issues. But I must say, over time and with God's help, I have come a long way. I am a supervisor for a great organization. I am in college studying to be a nurse. I am married with 2 children, neither of which I ever beat. They are grown and starting families of their own.