Early Childhood Domestic Abuse

Dating back to early childhood, I recall my first memory as traumatizing. This occurrence has effected how I manage through intimate relationships. It has also impacted the manner in which I parent my children. Around age 4, I witnessed domestic violence between my parents. These disputes included physical and verbal abuse between my biological father and mother. Theses instances inscribed the notion that I would never marry. I vividly remembering riding my bike in front of my home saying, “I will never get married after.” It was my held belief that all marriages involved negative and unhealthy encounters. I lied in bed with my sister sobbing while she would rub my back and say, “It is going to be okay, I have you.” Loud voices, fighting, …show more content…
My parents focused on my sister’s academic achievement. Whereas, my involvement in various activities was paramount. It was understood that my sister was the smart offspring and I was the active, social child. It was not until adulthood, I realize the tremendous impact this had on my life. In middle childhood, I had behavior problems at school. I realize the domestic disputes manifested in my life at an early age. I remember a specific incidence were a young male was given the task to take names on the chalkboard while the teacher was out of the class. The male placed my name on the board due to my talkative behavior while the teacher was gone. I said, “If you don 't take my name off the board, I am going to make you.” I picked up two chalk erasers and hit the male on the head until he erased my name from the board. This behavior was potentially my aggression stemming from fights I witnessed between my parents. On the other hand, my sister thrived academically. She received all A’s and had exemplary behavior. She was in gifted classes and always received awards for her academic accomplishments. My family presented as a supportive and loving family that was integral in volunteering at the school and contributing to the success of the Parent and Teacher Association (PTA). It appeared that I was the problem and not the domestic abuse I …show more content…
The culture was vastly different. I went from a 100% African American school to a predominately Caucasian elementary school. My new school challenged me to be better. I became involved in various programs the school offered as extra-curricular activities including chorus, the clogging team, and the handbell choir. All three activities included travel to different schools and community events that required members to miss school. These opportunities came with prerequisites that called for students to have good grades and behavior. Due to my involvement in these activities, I strived to do well in school to maintain my membership in these activities. It was during this time, I became concerned about how teachers thought of