Home challenges right now
Hi everyone,
I've been dealing with some really tough stuff at home lately, and I need some adivce on how to protect my siblings and myself. My dad was abusive towards my mom when he left, and after that, my uncle moved in with us.
A few weeks back, I had an argument with my mom because she said something mean to my little brother who gets really upset easily-like he's just such a sweet kid, always calm and listens well. After our fight, my brother started crying because of what she said, telling her he wanted to end his life. She called him a bad child and told him to leave the house-he's under 16.
I couldn't take it anymore, so I yelled at her, but then my uncle hit me on the head after my mom grabbed my wrists and encouraged him to continue because of their age difference and reliion. He didn't really hurt me though. Later we all calmed down, and I even apologized to my uncle, but he hasn't spoken to me since.
My mom acts normal around me now, but she's been doing things that are just weird-I think she spends too much time with him in her room. They talk a lot at night, and there's always bottles of alcohol and smoke smells around.
Lately, my uncle has been acting strange; he said something to my mom about being scared to talk to me because I might say something back. My sister also told me that he touched her inappropriately recently, which happened when she was a kid too. When I brought this up with my mom, she said it was just "playing," but how can playing make someone feel so afraid of men and terrified about sleeping?
I'm really unsure if I should talk to him or not. My mom thinks I need to reach out to older people first. She keeps using religion as an excuse, but honestly, I don't know what's right anymore. It all feels overwhelming, and I've lost my joy in life because of it.
Does anyone have any advice on how to stay safe and deal with this situation? Thanks for reading!
2 Replies
just wanted to say hey and thanks for the love - you know how it is, i mean sometimes a little kindness goes such a long way honestly
I think maybe you need to decide whether getting the police and a social worker involved is what you want, or if moving somewhere safer could work. Maybe reaching out to a charity that deals with domestic abuse or one like NSPCC, which helps children dealing with sexual abuse or violence, might be an option.
They can help if you talk to them. You could also try contacting friends, relaatives, and neighbors who might support you. But I think it would be better to approach everyone mentioned at first because things could get complicated otherwise. And making sure they understand the protection level needed is important too.
Thinking about self-defense as an optoin might be heplful, but it would put you at risk.If you feel seriously threatened by everyone around you and fear for your safety, you should probably tell the police right away. I did this before, but the situation was passed back to my family because they didn't take it seriously-only my parents' words mattered.
If all of you-whether children or adult children-say similar things, there might be a better chance of being heard. Keeping track of when and how much violence happens each time is really important too. If you have bruises or injuries, talking to your doctor about them can also help with the situation.
The laws have changed recently, so those who are supposed to help you might now be more willing to assist you in some way.