Yes, but it is too painful to get into. I will say I'm still working on this issue, and it has been over 40yrs!

no I was anything but abused as a child

I know that I was and I can't say more about it.

it didnt start til i was 12 or 13 so i guess it wasnt child? i dnt know but im 22 now and my relationships are f-d.

I don't believe so. Although I did read porno magazines in the toilet when I was eight. But it wasn't exactly a negative experience.

Yes i was abused at the tender age of eight. It lasted for twelve months till the "family friend" moved away. I am in my fifties now and I can honestly say that it is something you never forget or recover from, it can affect relationships for many years. You learn to cope but never forget.

Yes, I was. It's not a doubt. I want to tell the others who are still working to keep doing so. I am nowhere near done with the issue but I have gotten so much better...We can get back what we've lost, I know that now. You can too.

Yes,My Mother was severely mentally ill .She posioned me twice. my grandmother told me she filled my baby bottles full of Lysol. I was often attacked when I was asleepI was beaten stabbed and raped.I spent alot of time living on the streets of Philadelphia because it was not safe for me to go home.My father was a violent drunk who abused my mother.it was more painfull to see her abused than to get hurt myself.I only share this for the person who still suffers alone from abuse.You are not alone.My God is an awesome God!!

I was sexually abused as a child but not by my parents...It was traumatizing, affected my entire life, the way I view men, the relationships I try to build, the way I raise my children. Because of it, I have an irrational fear of my children being abused to the point that it was hard for me to let them spend the night with friends or go on feild trip with thier class..I am working on that tho.It is something that a person never recovers from, you just learn to live with it, but you never forget. I still get this feeling that washes over me from time to time that makes me sick to my stomach, but you have to live your life and try to not let it control you..

Yes, without a doubt. The list of "why" is quite long, the short version would be: My dad was a mean drunk.

Yes, I Am 15 Years Old && My Step Father Has Been Abusing Me Since I Was 13. My Mom Tells Me It Is Normal That He Hits Me Since I Have Been Living With Him Since I Was 7 (She Says It Is Like Hes My Real Father). But It Is Not Okay About The Bruises I Constantly Have Around My Neck, That I Have To Lie To My Friends About. My Beatings Became Worse Though Since I Got Caught Smoking Pot, Im Not Saying That That Is An Excuse, But It Sure Helped Ease The Pain. Parents Choose To Hit Their Kids For Many Different Reason But There Is A Big Difference Between A Spank On The But, Or A Whip With A Belt Soaked In Vinegar. This Lead Me To Be Suicidal At One Point. I Have Also Been Through Loads Of Therapy && Been Described Anti-Depressants.

My Father used to beat me alot, but one day I started fighting back. he had always been abusive but one day I turned and punched him so hard in the jaw that his glasses flew across the yard and he was knocked out by the time he hit the ground. He was still abusive after that, but the more I hurt him the less he tried. As I got older we started getting along better but the fights didn't stop completely till I moved out. I moved to a different state almost 2 years ago and we haven't even argued since then.

I know I was, for a long time. It ruined my life and still does to a certain extent but now i'm coping. For the first time in 30 years i am starting to put things into perspective. http://jwwritings.blogspot.com

Thankfully, the spankings I got were not abusive. My brother got most of the beatings because of his willful spirit and disruptive behavior. Sadly, this physical punishment did him no good.

There are two types of abuse, physical and psychological. Unfortunately, I endured the latter. I used to get spanked, but I can hardly consider that abuse. However, the psychological damage inflicted upon me as a child is still something I'm dealing with through therapy and cognitive restructuring.

Yes. As a child, I was the recipient of some inappropriate sexual attention from an adult teacher of mine for a year or two until my parents had a falling out with him for unrelated reasons and moved me out of the class. I had some EXCELLENT counseling on the topic, worked through the issues it caused, and only very rarely think of it anymore. Generally only when the topic of abuse comes up does it even come to mind. Or when I see a muscular guy in a tight superman t-shirt, but fortunately that doesn't happen real often.

Yes I was, sexually by my father from the age of 12-15 and physically throughout my early to mid teens. I had to carry on life as normal because he blackmailed me by telling me the family would be split up if I told. Im 37 now and coped by pushing the memories to the back of my mind and telling myself that "some people had it a lot worse than I". This Easter I finally walked into a police station and reported him...unfortunately until he comes back to the UK the police cant touch him (my parents moved to Cyprus 3 years ago) My mother knew about the sexual abuse but did nothing...she's still with him. I started to get help recently for the affects the abuse has on me...its not really helping at the moment but im going to give it a chance. My fathers excuse was that he went through the same abuse by his step father....people say that the abused become abusers....I have proved that in my case that is not true....Its just an excuse used by weak low life.

yes when i was a child i was sexually abused from the sge of 5 till about 8. too painfull to talk about really! i just stumbled across this site and see how many people are going through the same thing! its sad! i feel 4 u all!but the best way i deal with it is 2 put it 2 the back of my head and not think about it! it works 4 me most the time until it all builds up. but that is the only way i know how 2 deal with it?.any other ideas??if so i would love 2 hear them cause i m finding it really hard at the moment. im really bad at relationships now and trusting people! its hard!

Yes. I've had physical and emotional scars, to prove it.

It's any kind of touch or contact that makes you extremely uncomfortable and not just for a day but days,weeks.You start to see everything in black and the whole world feels like it should suck you in.

I, personally, didn't realize it until AFTER I left. Then you look back and go, "Man... that wasn't right."

By comparing your upbringing to any episode of the Brady Bunch.

By things like... touching or feeling, forced to do physical things to that person, being hit, slapped, punched, scratched etc. that person doing things to you that you are uncomfortable with.. there are lots of signs. if you need to know more, look it up.

sometimes abuse is so bad that the person represses it only to have peices of it come to the surface years later, then you should go to a therapist for some help in figuring it all out..Or else, you'd feel crazy over it.

IMO, if you're even questioning whether you're a victim of child abuse or not, the answer is probably yes. On the other hand. There are different laws in different states on what is considered child abuse, and what isn't. If you seriously feel that you're a victim, please talk to these guys... Child Help USA: 1-800-4ACHILD 1-800-422-4453 ... They can answer a lot of your questions and it's an anonymous line where you can talk to someone if you feel you need to. Hope I helped! (:

were you beaten while typing the question? =)

You look up the signs and symptoms for child abuse, and decide after you have read it. http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/signs.cfm

Abuse is stripping someone of their self-esteem by using the following tactics: verbal abuse which are put downs, threats anything that makes you feel bad about who you are. Physical abuse: hitting, punching, kicking, pushing, spitting, pulling your hair anything that is unwanted physical touch (sexual included). If you grew up in a home where a caregiver called you names that were derogatory, denied you the basic necessities in life such as shelter, food, water, clothing and a safe environment from mental and physical abuse as described above you may have been abused. You should talk to someone in your area, there are child abuse hotlines worldwide.

Yes i did feel that i am/were a victim of child abuse, am 16 and my mum slaps me, pull my hair, punches me, and also once she had bit me. Also my mum always talks bad about me she tells me am ugly, i have a big lip, stupid, dump,etc.. and it hurts so bad, that i cut myself to release my pain.I just feel like dying.:'( ....sign a broken heart.

My family neglected me at only one week old.My mother left me with my grandmother for the first 7 months of my life because my dad said she had to go to work.We weren't in any bad financial situation either.After my grandma left I was stuck at work with my mum constantly on the floor or with other parents (She worked at a childcare centre) I was never helped with homework and my dad would beat me up over the most simplest things. My mother has now been dragging me on a 5 year divorce which has affected me mentally and emotionally. My dad threatens to continously beat me up and I have not alot of people to turn to I'm also underage and have little rights.

Its really funny in ironic sort of way. Starting in my late teens I suspected that what we had gone through as young children / early teens was abuse. It wasn't until I came online and went to an AOL mental health chat room that I realized that my childhood had been anything but 'normal'. Funny in a sad sort of way, because when you are raised in it, you think its all perfectly normal. Its only when you grow up you begin to realize ... at least it was for me. I had the gauntlet, so 'been there, done that, had it done to me'. Shrinks / therapy didn't 'cure' me, pills did no good; the wounds too deep. I had to heal myself. This is in part to the mental abuse; the deliberate attempt to warp a young mind as part of an 'experiment' with my brother and I. I won't go into all the aspects, but I will say this: I wish there were more resources and acceptance of male abuse survivors. Cuz' if you are a guy, and you were abused in certain ways -- help is hard to find, if not impossible.

i think i am being abused i am 15 and my parents consistantly yell at me for nothing at all but sometimes i dont do my chores cause i never get any time to do anything fun and of course right now its summer and they wont let me do anything or have many friends over also another thing i have noticed is that they seem like REALLY nice parents whenever we are in public. and then i have never talked about it but this year i was doing my chores and my parents randomly started taking away my stuff and yelling at me so after a while i thought well if i dont do my chores i get stuff taken away and aparently if i do do my chores they take stuff away so i decided to go to bed then they found out and woke me up and slaped me with wood spoons,slapped my face and made me do my violin practice while yelling at me although i was shamefully crying too hard so they threw water at me and put a bag on my head and eventually threw me outside. sorry for the long post but i want to know if that is abuse cause i think it is and im still dealling with the yelling every day and im sick of it. also ive had thoughts of suicide and although i would never do this thoughts of killing my parents.

yes it started at age 9. my mother had the family (gay) man, my uncle to teach me tha facts of life, it didnt work out well, i still carry the hate to this day, i have 4 kids now and i am very overprotective