He hit me. He kicked me. He threw me against the wall. I had broken bones and bruises. I was six years old when it began. Joe was a big six-foot tall man. And, I had to protect Emily, my three year old sister… I was bigger than her.
Each beating came with a lie. He told me exactly what to say, “You tripped down the stairs,” “You accidently banged your head into the wall.” If Mom noticed a bruise, I would quickly tell her the lies - the accidents that never happened. Joe would say, “If you tell your mother, I’ll kill all of you.”
One afternoon, Joe threw me against the wall; he kicked me again and again - for what felt like an eternity. He turned to Emily. Grabbed her by the hand and took her into the bathroom - slamming the door behind him…
I got used to the beatings and learned to hide my injuries well until Mrs. Lopez, my 5th grade teacher, saw the bruise on my neck. She called in the school counselor. Our lives finally began to change.
Everything moved so fast. I came to ChildSafe to tell my story and the truth finally came out. Like me, Mom was hiding her scars and crying in silence. She had no idea of what Emily and I endured.
This May, I graduate from high school with honors. I have a scholarship to Texas A&M. Emily is now a sophomore in high school and loves sports and playing guitar. She now laughs often. I love to hear Emily laugh.
I am grateful that ChildSafe has been with us from the beginning, always ready to help when we needed it; teaching Mom how to be a good parent; and, helping us heal, get through our trauma, and understand what happened was not our fault.