Your essay was vivid and really came to life for me. Your understanding of how the experience has changed you was powerful too. As an adult who works with children, I sometimes forget how emotionally searing childhood events can be in the hearts of children.
Beautifully written. Your essay is reminiscent of the numerous times that my family moved and I met the girls on the block. It also stresses how children learn, sometimes the hard way, the unwritten rules of the group. Thank you.
Janet Stringer replied on Mon, 03/14/2011 - 07:26am
As I read your essay, it reminded me of my mother, her rants and rages, and the way people shied away from her when she'd get in one of her moods. As a child, I was a door slammer when I didn't get my way. As a mother myself, I emulated my mother by ranting and raving at my daughters. Later, I learned that wasn't making us close or making me friends, just like my mom, so I changed. No more rants and rages from me.
Jeanette Hollman replied on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 01:15pm
I finally left my husband after twenty-five years because of his temper and verbal abuse. I don't think he ever understood the collective consequences of each and every blow-up for which he never apologized. When I finished with him, I never looked back, not once.
Beautifully written. I posted the link on a parenting website. We were discussing bullying in school, since so many of our special needs children are bullied, and the thread veered toward many of our own painful childhoods and dysfunctional upbringings. Thank you. Keep writing!
Your essay was vivid and really came to life for me. Your understanding of how the experience has changed you was powerful too. As an adult who works with children, I sometimes forget how emotionally searing childhood events can be in the hearts of children.
Beautifully written. Your essay is reminiscent of the numerous times that my family moved and I met the girls on the block. It also stresses how children learn, sometimes the hard way, the unwritten rules of the group. Thank you.
I loved your essay. It's so fresh and authentic, and you write with such elegance. Bravo! I will surely read more of your work.
As I read your essay, it reminded me of my mother, her rants and rages, and the way people shied away from her when she'd get in one of her moods. As a child, I was a door slammer when I didn't get my way. As a mother myself, I emulated my mother by ranting and raving at my daughters. Later, I learned that wasn't making us close or making me friends, just like my mom, so I changed. No more rants and rages from me.
I finally left my husband after twenty-five years because of his temper and verbal abuse. I don't think he ever understood the collective consequences of each and every blow-up for which he never apologized. When I finished with him, I never looked back, not once.
Beautifully written. I posted the link on a parenting website. We were discussing bullying in school, since so many of our special needs children are bullied, and the thread veered toward many of our own painful childhoods and dysfunctional upbringings. Thank you. Keep writing!