Originally posted by I_Know_You2!
Most kids want to spend time with their parents even if they are S.O.B.'s. That is why abused children want to stay in the home.
I really, really shouldn't respond to this, but I have to.
Yes, not only was I in the situation, but I also have a psychology degree and spent several years working with psychologists (as in actually WORKING with, not in treatment).
Your statement is just not true.
Abused kids do not want to stay in any abusive situations. If they felt safe to leave then they should Abusers do a fantastic job of convicing children that awful, terrible things will happen to them if they tell or act against them in anyway. Children are often told by the abuser that if the family is broken apart that the children will be placed in foster care and will never see the other parent or their siblings again. Sometimes they're threatened with brutality. And many times the abused kids are basically brainwashed into believing that there's something wrong with them, that they're somehow bad/defective and deserve the abuse.
Many abused kids also continue to harbour the hope that somehow, at some point, some miracle will happen and the abuse will stop and their parent will actually treat them with kindess and love.
I have a friend who's in her 40's who was abused as a child. She distanced herself from her father as a teenager and adult, only around him as much as necessary. He died suddenly a few years ago, and she went through a tremendous period of guilt and grief. All this time there had been some little part of her that was hoping beyond hope that he would become a loving father, and they would actually be able to have a relationship. Now that he was dead, that possibly was gone forever. And to some extent her blamed herself, that if only she had tried harder then perhaps...
The human mind is a remarkable thing. The capacity we have for understanding, for protecting ourselves, and unfortunately for manipulating others is astounding.