A Poor Role Model

I have been following the whole Chris Brown Rhianna saga. It is a very sad statement of what goes on behind closed doors. You could have money and fame and glamour-and still suffer from abuse. The shocking photos of her beaten up were plastered all over the internet. What is even more shocking is that she is back with Chris Brown.
This actually is fairly common. Many years ago I used to volunteer with Womanspace, which works with the survivors of domestic violence. I worked with their children-helping with homework, playing with them, sometimes it was just being with them that made the difference. They were there while their mothers met with a team that included a lawyer and a therapist. The goal was to get them back on their feet and help them and their children heal from the unspeakable trauma and suffering that they experienced. I would come home emotionally spent, and grateful for the blessings in my life yet feeling that I was making a positive impact. Then I started seeing a cycle-a few months down the line I would start seeing the same people again. The same kids, only they looked a little more scared, were a little more quiet and a little more hardened. Mom had gone back to the abuser-he promised to get help and that he'd never do it again. Or she was scared to try to make it on her own. The only housing options they had were in the motels on Route 1 and that really wasn't an option. (more on that another time) A lot of these women had grown up in abusive situations and this was all they had ever known in terms of relationships. Some suffered a serious lack of self esteem and felt they didn't deserve better.
There are so many levels involved in domestic violence-and all those involved. It doesn't boil down to Chris Brown bad and Rhiana dumb for going back to him. I hope that this publicity might shed some light on one of our nation's dirty little secrets.