My father beat me with a belt, stripped me naked, made me stand with my arms out until I couldn’t hold them out anymore…at which point he’d beat me like a slave. My mother once witnessed this happening, after coming home from work, and walked right past the room like she hadn’t seen anything. My father also, spied on me, cornered me and constantly violated my personal space, yelled directly at me, as loudly as he could, while balls of his spit would fly into my face. He’d undermine me, antagonize me, doubt me, talk down to me…and at the end of it all, apologize, and tell me he loved me. Every single time it happened. Let’s just say its been a difficult journey for my mental health.