Recent quarantining due to the COVID-19 pandemic leaves many people vulnerable to suffering abuse when isolated in a dangerous situation at home. Many abuse survivor advocates and professionals are expecting that child abuse, intimate partner abuse, and sexual assault will increase during the pandemic because of the increased isolation. Most abusers are parents, siblings, intimate partners, or...
“I didn’t think it could happen to me—I thought I’d be someone who’d always be able to cope—but I can’t. I can’t sleep, I can’t focus, I can’t clear my head of the images from the past. That day broke me, and I don’t know where to go from here.” I was sitting in my living room, listening to a friend. She had been so happy, so dynamic, but then her world was turned upside down. A single traumatic...
The party was already planned in my head. I had decided a taco bar would be the most economical way to feed all the guests, which would include our friends and my son’s, as well as both sets of out-of-town grandparents. I would keep the food inside, on the kitchen table covered with an orange tablecloth and other decorations. Everything else would be outside; tables and chairs scattered around...
If your child is showing signs of anxiety, it wouldn’t be unusual or unexpected. A lot has changed recently with their routine. They aren’t able to interact with their friends from school or church. All of their scheduled events have been canceled for the time being. Their worlds have been turned upside down, and it’s hard for them to understand why. Plus, kids can also pick up on their parents’...
A couple of years ago, I was splitting wood with my gas-powered log splitter. After working for an hour or so, I went back into the house for a drink of water. I removed my gloves and hearing protection, satisfied my thirst, then returned to work. The problem was that I couldn’t find where I placed my hearing protection. I looked all around for the bright yellow plastic headset with no success...
