My day...I woke late, & enjoyed a few tivo shows of "so you think you can dance". Then got ready & went to MC. My stomach still gets in knots on the way there. It was really good today though. I went the whole 50 minutes, not one tear, BOOYAH !!!

We had a few things to talk through, C keeps repeating with us, ask questions, give information, share how you feel. We talked about a few things regarding H's approach to the kids. C/Doc agreed we need to encourage the kids to talk to H rather than come to me, & want me to intervene. 3 of the kids fold when H is strong with them. C/Doc says we need to teach them to stand up for themselves but in a VERY respectful way. Our oldest especially folds & often times walks away appearing resentful & shut down.

Then I went over to the school & helped out with an ice cream party for S9's class. I love walking into the classroom & hear him yell "Mommy". It's so sweet.

Tonight after dinner, H & I both spoke to all the kids. We even role played a few recent events to show the kids how to voice their feelings & opinions in a respectful tone. We showed a united front, explained that H use to discipline in a cold structure manner, & that was changing. We had a great time, laughing, talking, & one kid even said "this is better than TV". LOL At the end, we reminded them, we are the adults, we are the parents, we make the ultimate decisions, but we do care about their feelings, & we will listen.

I wonder what I would be like if I had grown up in this type of an environment ??

I wonder if my kids will ever know how really lucky they are ?

M 19 years, MC for 8 months, DB'd for 8 months
4 kids; 18, 15, 14, & 10
I was never meant to be a doormat. It took me years of therapy to become assertive enough to stop his abuse.