George was beaten so many times

[Bassim]

Have I made any mistakes?

George was beaten so many times by his mother that thirty years later he still winced whenever thinking of it. He hated her then, and even hated her now because of her narrow-mindedness and her religious fanaticism. She had destroyed his childhood because of her intolerance, controlling him in every possible ways and forbidding him to have friends she considered inappropriate. When George left home for good, he felt liberated like a prisoner who had finally been let out of jail.

 

[Tarheel]

Have I made any mistakes?

George was beaten so many times by his mother that thirty years later he still winces whenever thinking of it. He hated her then, and hates her now because of her narrow-mindedness and her religious fanaticism. She [STRIKE]had[/STRIKE] destroyed his childhood with her intolerance, controlling him in every possible way and forbidding him to have friends she considered inappropriate. When George left home for good, he felt liberated like a prisoner who had finally been let out of jail.

So his feelings toward her have nothing to do with the physical abuse?

(I would say thinking about it.)

 

[Bassim]

I imagine that George is searching for the roots of his mother's behaviour and finds them in her fanaticism. I believe that physical abuse always has roots in some kind of belief because the perpetrator of the abuse has to justify his actions. I have often heard parents saying, "I beat my child because I believed that was the right thing to do. I wanted to bring him on the right track." And the child is left divided in his thoughts: whether to hate the parent because of the abuse of the idea which prompted it.

 

[Tarheel]

I imagine that George is searching for the roots of his mother's behaviour and finds them in her fanaticism. I believe that physical abuse always has roots in some kind of belief because the perpetrator of the abuse has to justify his actions. I have often heard parents saying, "I beat my child because I believed that was the right thing to do. I wanted to bring him on the right track." And the child is left divided in his thoughts: whether to hate the parent because of the abuse or the idea which prompted it.

We'll, I'm no expert on that subject, but I understand that most abusers were themselves abused as children. It's learned behavior.
:-|