Parents

My parents get in those kind of fights too. I know they would never hurt me, but its kind of scary to watch. I wish I could have a normal family too.

This thread is hard to read. I'm glad that all of you have found an outlet here, to voice to your pet loving friends what is happening in your home life. But it makes me sad to know that such wonderful young people are experiencing such bad things at home. Normal is a hard situation to describe, because what is normal for one, is not normal for another.

I'm an old lady at 40, compared to the ages of those of you who have posted. "Normal" for me, as a child, was being punished when I didn't show respect, acted out, etc. Punishment might be something being taken away from me that I enjoyed, or it could mean a spanking. It didn't take much for me to learn not to do the offensive thing anymore! Now, I'm a mom. My daughter doesn't get spanked, but it is because she doesn't do things that would cause me to want to do that. I think, even in the worst situation, I probably couldn't spank her, but I do know what would have the most effectiveness, as far as punishment, and spanking probably isn't it! But I will tell you, honestly, that I do witness some kids getting away with things that make me cringe at times, and I wish their parents would take a more proactive stance against their behavior, with sufficient punishment, to help correct the problems now, rather than having them grow up to be unruly adults! All of you have such potential. You love your pets, you are good friends to each other and all of us.

I'm with Karen. Please, if you can't talk with either of your parents, please find someone that you can talk with, whether it be a school counselor, a minister or a friend.

I am sorry to hear that alot of you are going through that. I also grew up in a disfunctinal home. I know it can be hard to get through. Try your hardest to seperate yourself from the fighting. You don't want to repeat history. When you are older, you want to remember how it made you feel when your parents fought. Hopefully your kids won't go through the same thing. Most importantly, it is NEVER ok to get physically abused. No one should have to put up with that.