When Faith Conaway first got here, she consistently thought there was a need to keep the girls quiet as I worked on the computer.
The total opposite was true.
Faith’s perception of me was filled with her old life – the one she said she wanted to leave.
The Fundamentalist CULTure where children should be beaten, whipped, silenced, and punishment was never quite good enough until (this is the book – NOT ME:) “the child is left with bruises and their will is broken.”
It was a bit of a struggle when Faith and the girls first got here for her to fully realize the distinction between the two homes.
I remember a good number of times when the girls would be giggling, squealing, and laughing that…… well, how do I say this… the punishment and anxiety coming from Faith was slightly disproportionate to what the girls were actually doing.
Having to dissolve some of those moments when Faith’s reaction and discipline was a bit over and above the kid’s behavior became normal for the first couple of months.
And having to reassure Faith that it was perfectly fine that they were making noise, being silly, and having a good time, really did not bother me a bit.
And, I always loved the fact that I could cut away and make time for doing something with them and engaging in whatever they were wanting to do at any given moment.
I absolutely loved hearing the girls giggling and playing in the other room.
I thought it was awesomely incredible that they could come running to me whenever they wanted and ask me to color something or take a sip of tea. And, at the end of the day, we could always go do something fun together.
https://www.babble.com/mom/to-train-up-a-child-teaches-punishment-that-kills-kids/