holidays
Holidays
“He was crying hysterically because he was obviously scared. I was scared, too. But I had to pretend otherwise, for him and for me. If I didn’t, I wouldn't survive.”
adult child of alcoholics
Alcohol
"I would cover her with a blanket and kiss her forehead, because I saw that on TV before. That’s how moms tuck in their kids. But my mom told me TV was fake anyway, and she was right."
physical abuse
The Darkest Side of the Moon
"I closed my eyes and went somewhere else for a moment, because here my father was, about to literally chop off my hands for taking a dollar from my younger brother. As if they raised us to be decent people. As if they raised us at all."
adult child of alcoholics
What's a Good Parent?
"He was into carpentry in his spare time, and always had a project. I never knew why he didn’t go into it as a career. I used to help him by handing him nails and screws and different tools. I was like his scrub nurse, but our patients were plywood and our instruments were screwdrivers and drills."
physical abuse
Worthy
"I had a routine. I hid with my younger brother somewhere until things seemed calmer. When my parents fought, they seemed to forget we existed. So long as we were out of the way, we would usually be okay. "