-=> Quoting Sondra Ball to Robin Arnhold <=-
Hi, Sondra,
 RA> SB> That's true.  The granddaughter of a neighbor of mine had kids try 
o
 > SB> rape her during recess.  She was in first grade at the time; and the
 > SB> "rapists" were in first, second, and third grade.  They had her on the
 > SB> ground, and her clothes off, before anyone saw what was going on.  The
 > SB> mother sent her to school the next day.
 
 RA>Horrid and horrid again!  I wonder what that mother was thinking of.  Too
 >many adults underplay the importance things like this have on the
 >psychological development of a child.
 SB> 
 SB> You know, I sometimes think that the reason adults refuse to
 SB> acknowledge how horrible this is, is because things like this happened
 SB> to them, and if they said "Yes, It's awful":, they'd have to face their
 SB> own anger at their own childhood experiences.  To avoid their own anger
 SB> and pain, they refuse to stop it for their children and grandchildren.
I wonder.  I mean, for me I find it a little hard to avoid knowing that
part of me hurts and at times gets madder than all get out that it
happened.  I don't always know how to put it in proper perspective, but I
do know that none of us who were abused in some way as children are ever
going to have that happy childhood that at least a little part of us
wishes we had had, that we have to live our lives from where we are at
now, but that one's childhood is part of the mix.  I think many people
have a problem accepting that they truly did not deserve the abuse they
were subjected to as children, so when they see a child being abused,
part of them wonders what the child did to deserve it.  My mother keeps
trying to make excuses for a father she hated and feared, and it becomes
clear after a while that part of her thinks she did deserve to be
battered.  
Take care,
Robin
 
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