She told me she would never have children. Unlike other forms of child abuse, emotional abuse is rarely denied by those who practice it. It is not enough for us to renounce the perverted notion that beating children produces good citizens we must also renounce the lie that emotional abuse is good for children because it prepares them for a hard life in a tough world. The primary weapons of emotional abusers is the deliberate infliction of guilt. It's time to stop playing that role.
Emotional abuse requires no physical conduct whatsoever.
Too often this becomes still another wish that didn't come true and emotionally abused children will conclude that they deserve no better result. The costs of emotional abuse cannot be measured by visible scars, but each victim loses some percentage of capacity. And although the damage was done with words, true forgiveness can only be earned with deeds. For such searchers, the key to freedom is always truth the real truth, not the distorted, self-serving version served by the abuser. Emotional abuse threatens to become a national illness.