This was heartbreaking to read. No child should ever have to become the peacemaker in their own home. Thank you for putting something so painful into words.
Thank you for holding the child at the center of this piece. What makes that role so painful is that a child can begin to believe the peace of the entire home depends on how carefully she speaks, how much anger she absorbs, and how little of herself she asks anyone else to carry.
She may even be praised for being mature, without anyone noticing that her childhood is being exchanged for stability the adults should have created themselves. And long after she leaves, her body may still keep listening for the next argument. Thank you for seeing the heartbreak beneath the “peacemaker” so clearly.
This was heartbreaking to read. No child should ever have to become the peacemaker in their own home. Thank you for putting something so painful into words.
Thank you for holding the child at the center of this piece. What makes that role so painful is that a child can begin to believe the peace of the entire home depends on how carefully she speaks, how much anger she absorbs, and how little of herself she asks anyone else to carry.
She may even be praised for being mature, without anyone noticing that her childhood is being exchanged for stability the adults should have created themselves. And long after she leaves, her body may still keep listening for the next argument. Thank you for seeing the heartbreak beneath the “peacemaker” so clearly.
Yeah, I get that!!!