When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out.
Erma BombeckRead
Growing up, I thought my grandfather was dead. Later, I learned he was alive, but my family pretended he didn't exist because of the terrible way he'd abused my grandmother and my mother. He did things like shave my grandmother's head and lock her in a closet. With my mother's help, my grandmother finally left him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the painful realities of family secrets and trauma caused by abuse.
Deborah Pryce's quote sheds light on the hidden sufferings within a family marked by abuse. It reveals the complexities of familial relationships, where love can be overshadowed by pain and neglect, as seen through the narrative of a grandson coming to terms with the legacy of his grandfather's abusive behavior. The revelation of the grandfather’s actions and the family's decision to bury the truth speaks to the difficulties faced by victims of domestic violence and the enduring impact of such trauma across generations.
Themes
AbuseFamilyTraumaSecretsTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a family therapy session, this quote can be used to discuss the impact of generational trauma.
Similar quotes
I was possessed with a wonderful example of my Italian American family. They would come over and join us every Sunday, all my aunts and uncles and nephews and nieces, and I would sing for them.
Tony BennettRead
You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.
Desmond TutuRead
My father was a man of love. He always loved me to death. He worked hard in the fields, but my father never hit me. Never. I don't ever remember a really cross, unkind word from my father.
Johnny CashRead
I don't think children's inner feelings have changed. They still want a mother and father in the very same house; they want places to play.
Beverly ClearyRead
I owe undying gratitude to my patient parents.
Konrad LorenzRead