Here To Help
Dear Keren
I’m now 70 and, after a lifetime of staying silent, I decided I wanted to unburden myself of the fact that my stepfather sexually abused me as a child. I told my mother at the time, but she didn’t want to know.
I recently told my sisters and, to my horror, my sister closest in age to me said he’d done the same to her, and that she’d never spoken about it. But she used to cry, just as I did, knowing what was coming. I lived in fear of his attacks throughout my childhood. Our other two, younger sisters, however, said they’d
my sister had a wonderful childhood. Now I have a feeling they don’t believe me and
thinking about the abuse, and I’m feeling very guilty for saying anything about it. I’m that, perhaps, I should have kept it to myself forever.
Name and address withheld
I’m so sorry you felt you had to wait so long to talk about this, but rest assured, it was the right thing to do. No-one should have to go through what you and your sister did, and certainly not alone. It will be a relief for your sister that she can now talk about it,
too. But, of course, the others will have mixed emotions: sad for you, guilty they didn’t suffer and also reluctant to spoil their image of their stepfather. It will have raised strong, painful reactions in all of you. I think you’d all benefit from talking this through with a professional.