The other day I was reading an article online that absolutely blew me away. Apparently Survivor producer, Bruce Beresford-Redman, is thought to have strangled his wife while they were on vacation in Cancun. This is just unreal to me.
Domestic violence is something that really irritates me. When I was growing up in New York City, I remember a police officer friend of mine telling me how standing in the middle of a domestic violence fight was one of the scariest things he encountered in his job. He said there is nothing more violent than when an angry husband and wife want to get at each other.
I don't even get that whole dynamic. How can you get so angry at someone you love? How can you get so angry with someone who might be the mother (or father) of your children? How can you get so angry that you would hurt or even kill that person?
Domestic violence is something that runs rampant in this country. You read about it every single day -- about a woman who might have killed her children or a man who has beaten up his wife.
What I really want is to read your comments on this subject. I would love to know how many of you have ever been a victim of any kind of domestic violence. How many of you stayed in relationships even though your partner was abusing you mentally, physically or emotionally? What made you stay? What made you leave?
I hear stories all the time about people who promise never to do something again. They lash out at their spouse or their partner and they always promise never to do it again. Then three months later, it happens again.
I want to read your comments today. I want to see what you guys know, and I want to learn about this. Domestic violence is something that really distresses me -- no matter if it is hitting somebody you love, taking out your emotions on another person or even abusing a pet. You don't want to get me started on how I feel when I see people on the street being cruel to their dogs.
So how many of you have been in relationships where you've been the victim of domestic violence -- whether it was emotional, physical or mental abuse? If you have been in a relationship like this, what made you stay? How long did you stay? How hard was it for you to get out of the relationship? I know that when someone has been abused mentally or physically, it is hard for them to leave because their self-esteem really diminishes and they lose confidence.
So instead of me just talking in this blog, I want to hear from all of you. I'll be looking forward to reading each and every one of your comments, because I want to know what it was like for you. I'm sure there are a lot of people who might be in this type of relationship, and by commenting, you may be offering support to someone who needs it.
This may be the most important blog I've ever written, because it may actually give at least one person the support they need to get out of a relationship like this. Knowing that you're not alone, and knowing that it's not about you, might be just what someone out there needs to hear.