Comments for Child Abuse Story From Ame

Click here to add your own comments

Oct 15, 2008
 NONE of what happened is your fault...
by: Darlene Barriere - Webmaster

Ame, I too am very glad you have a supportive father. Your mother's self-imposed exile is all about her; it has nothing to do with you. Whatever she is dealing with, it's all on her. I suspect it is much more than her catching your brother in the act and doing nothing but sending him away to live with your grandparents. This goes deeper; probably in her own past.

As for blaming yourself for the abuse your brother inflicted on your 6-year-old cousin, that too has nothing to do with you. I can understand why and how it is you believe that you could have somehow changed the course of history had you been there. What you don't realize is that your brother would have found a way.

It does not surprise me that you did not consider what was happening to you as sexual abuse. That has been one of the challenges of teaching children and youth about abuse. So you are definitely not alone there, Ame. As children mature and enter into the adolescent years, their brains begin to develop in a more significant way. But even so, their brains continue to grow for a very long time. Even as a 15-year-old, you could not predict the consequences of your actions and inactions. That's not a put-down; that's just the way the human brain is. I am so glad that you eventually told your parents. It was a very brave thing for you to do.

I hope your supportive father is also willing to get you some form of counselling, Ame. You really do need to talk to someone about what happened to you and the blame you have taken on. You really are worth that kind of help.

Thank you for sharing your story with my visitors and me.

Darlene Barriere
Violence & Abuse Prevention Educator
Author: On My Own Terms, A Memoir

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Write Your Child Abuse Story.

Return to Child Abuse Story From Ame

Disclaimer: To the best of my knowledge the child abuse
stories on this site are true. While I cannot guarantee
this, I do try to balance the need for the submitter to be
heard and validated with the needs of my visitors.



E-book: Victim To Victory

From Victim to Victory
a memoir

How I got over the devastating effects of child abuse and moved on with my life

Read more...

Most Recent

RSS

  1. Converging Stolen Lives

    Jan 30, 18 01:13 PM

    There was a time and space I didn’t think about you, or your abuse. Where when I looked back at my life, I only saw normal things, a normal childhood.

    Read More

  2. A letter to one of the 13 Turpin children

    Jan 29, 18 11:33 AM

    A heartfelt letter by a former classmate that speaks to bullying and regrets. You'll find it on my Facebook group. I hope you'll join and get in on the discussion.

    Read More

  3. Dissociated From Abuse

    Jan 29, 18 11:00 AM

    I was sexually abused by my father from age 6 to 13, which stopped when I started talking about it during the day. The teenage brother of my best friend

    Read More

E-book: Victim To Victory

From Victim to Victory
a memoir

How I got over the devastating effects of child abuse and moved on with my life

Read more...