Tbunde5 wrote: ↑01 Apr 2018, 21:55
While Natalie is the central figure of the book, I found it fascinating to see the interactions of all the children. Robyn, who wets the bed; Shirley, who has a vicious mean streak; and Natalie, trying to hold them all together. Do you think the author gives an honest portrayal of the effects of abuse in children?
There are different effects of abuse on children just like the difference in the immunity of the body. I myself feel afraid every time I could hear people who are arguing in very loud voices.
I think the author had portrayed the honest effects of the abuse.
mcfeealexis wrote: ↑04 Apr 2018, 13:24
I feel that abuse can affect people different ways and it also depends on what type of abuse may it be physical or emotional. As I person that has felt emotional abuse when I was younger I did not even realize it affected me until later on in my life. I do think this gave a great representation of what someone who is affected by abuse would act.
I still make realizations about certain parts of me that are totally a result of abuse from my childhood. It’s insane how long it lasts.
I feel like it was probably an accurate portrayal of children responding to abuse. It's not going to be the same across the board but it seemed plausible.
It's been said that emotional abuse is more impactful than physical abuse. I believe this and this is much more traumatic to children because this will affect them even when they are grown ups. That is why psychiatric mediation is crucial for people who suffered traumatic experiences.
This definitely has very bad impact on children. It spoils their present and future. It is the responsibility of government, society and family to provide safe and secure environment to children.
Make your ideals high enough to inspire you and low enough to encourage you.
I definitely think she gives an honest portrayal of the effects of abuse on children. Every child in every situation is different. I had a cousin who was abused as a kid and she grew up to be the abuser. Many children react it in basis of their condition ..........They react on the basis of the situation
Tbunde5 wrote: ↑01 Apr 2018, 21:55
While Natalie is the central figure of the book, I found it fascinating to see the interactions of all the children. Robyn, who wets the bed; Shirley, who has a vicious mean streak; and Natalie, trying to hold them all together. Do you think the author gives an honest portrayal of the effects of abuse in children?
Yes I believe the author does. Kids use what they have to cope with their surroundings. To see how horrible Shirley is towards Robyn shows how much she loves hurting others just like her father, Alex. Robyn was having the hardest time because she was seeing how abusive her dad could be and abuse from Shirley, Alex's favorite. Joey was a special kid with needs but he tried his best to please his step-father to no avail. Natalie was trying to make things go smoothly for her mother and to keep the kids at peace with one another. The problem was she was sick of the abuse and slowly attacks back at her step-father causing him to see that he didn't have her submissive as the others. When there are more than one child in the household, they each take on separate paths towards dealing with the abuse they are dealt regularly.
To survive, you must tell stories.
― Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before
These are definitely likely in traumatic situations, and depending on age it can change, too. Kids at different ages deal with the trauma differently. What I see in this book are some pretty common responses to trauma.
Absolutely. If you’ve ever been in touch with abused children (or have even been one yourself), you’ll recognize it in these portrayals. Children, especially very young ones, don’t have the coping mechanisms, so the effects of abuse will manifest through subconsciousness rather than them processing them out loud.
Usually children can exchibit the signs below.... Love,care, support and attention given to children can effect them positively at infancy through adolescence, and into adulthhood.
I think the author is trying to show the bigger of the aftermath of emotional abuse after the victim/s have received special care like counselling and other psychological therapies.
A day is not measured by the harvest that you collect, but by the seeds that you plant.
Yes the author is right but not all family are the same because there is some who are in bad situation some other in g ood situation. Bad situation make you to abuse a child thinking how to cloth the child and what to eat... The child will thought that everything is going on but not. We should try to understand a child not our situation to be understand by the child.
Although I have not read the book yet, I have studied child psychology in undergraduate and graduate programs and it sounds as if the author did a great job of portraying the effect abuse has on children. Often, when a parent doesn't take on the responsible role of a parent then one of the children will. It sounds like this was Natalie. Sadly, there can be a child who mirrors the abusive nature of their parents. This child does not know how to handle their emotions and unfortunately uses their parent's bad behavior as an example. This must be Shirley. Lastly, you have poor Robyn who is completely traumatized and living in fear. She will probably be diagnosed with a form of PTSD one day.
Thank you for this interesting forum topic. I am motivated to read this book!
I think so. Not every abuse child shows his emotional scars in the same way, but there are some patterns. Wetting the bed, the way they speak and handle situations. I'm not an expert, but it seems quite real for me.
Tbunde5 wrote: ↑02 Apr 2018, 07:41
I agree. I appreciated that she showed it through individual characters. And she didn’t hold back. The sheer coldness of Shirley’s treatment of Robyn, both about wetting the bed and killing the steer, was shocking in its boldness, especially considering her age. A lot of authors would have portrayed the family as sticking together no matter what. But I don’t think that’s the reality. Also to have a female react this way instead of the stereotypical son.
Sounds realistic, yeah. Often abused children are crueler than we'd expect because all they see in their lives is cruelty, similar to how abused animals become more vicious. It's so sad.
