Determination

Here is yet another amazing story about overcoming a domestic violence relationship. When I read Alicia's story, it hit really close to home, as it really relates closely to my own personal experience with being in an abusive relationship. It also shows that this can happen to anyone. But that anyone can overcome a horrible situation with the support and strength from those around them. 

"About two decades ago, usually on a Thursday at four o’clock there would be an After
School Special. It was an hour show on anything from drugs to pregnancy. I guess you
could say it was a PSA for latch-key kids. My dad was usually home by that time and
would often watch them with my sisters and I. Anytime one of the shows was about a boy
beating or verbally abusing his girlfriend, sister, friend, whatever, he would look at the
three of us and say, “You see that? That is not right. You do not ever let that happen to
you.”

We would all agree because he’s our dad and he knows everything. Besides it didn’t look
like fun. So we swore that would never be us. I grew up with three sets of grandparents
and to me this was normal, I didn’t really get that it was different. As I got older I found
out why my dad was so vehemently against domestic violence. His mom, after she
was divorced from his dad, had been in several abusive relationships. I never asked
for details or anything like that from my father. He rarely doled out information about
his upbringing so any piece of information was just taken and analyzed. My grandma
didn’t really want me is the thing. So he lived with relatives or in foster homes a lot. This
doesn’t mean that she deserved what had happened but I see the impact it had on my
father. He wasn’t just trying to just arm his daughters with the knowledge that it is wrong
to hit women. He was trying to save another child from possibly having to go through
what he did."

Read more of Wytchwmn75's story on the Personal Stories page.

*Alicia has offered to talk to anyone privately who is currently dealing with domestic violence. Feel free to contact her via twitter @wytchwmn75