Growing up, I thought my grandfather was dead. Later, I learned he was alive, but my family pretended he didn't exist because of the terrible way he'd abused my grandmother and my mother. He did things like shave my grandmother's head and lock her in a closet. With my mother's help, my grandmother finally left him.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the painful realities of family secrets and trauma caused by abuse.
Deborah Pryce's quote sheds light on the hidden sufferings within a family marked by abuse. It reveals the complexities of familial relationships, where love can be overshadowed by pain and neglect, as seen through the narrative of a grandson coming to terms with the legacy of his grandfather's abusive behavior. The revelation of the grandfather’s actions and the family's decision to bury the truth speaks to the difficulties faced by victims of domestic violence and the enduring impact of such trauma across generations.
In practice
In a family therapy session, this quote can be used to discuss the impact of generational trauma.
Kaye was such a loving and compassionate person and she was the foundation of our family. Kaye was always at my side throughout my career as a player, coach, NFL analyst and, most importantly, as a parent to our three daughters Meagan, Lauren and Lindsay. They will miss their mother dearly.
One day you will do things for me that you hate. That is what it means to be family.
My Papa's Waltz: The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.
Mothers are the necessity of invention.
In my family, in the days prior to television, we liked to while away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, solely based on our ability to speak the language viciously.
Jen and I were accustomed to our father's last-will-and-testament diction, and were at times free to interrupt Atticus for a translation when it was beyond our understanding.
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