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would do. I only told her I must've eaten something bad.<br />
Any mistake or misbehavior was often met <strong>with</strong> excessive<br />
punishment. This included holding dictionaries on outstretched<br />
hands until the pain in my arms became unbearable.<br />
If my arms dropped, this was also met <strong>with</strong> punishment.<br />
Another was kneeling on uncooked rice which occasionally<br />
resulted in bleeding sores on my knees. There was<br />
significant corporal punishment, such as spanking <strong>with</strong> a<br />
belt, wooden spoon, or his hand. I was punched a few times,<br />
and strangled once. It was common to go <strong>with</strong>out a meal or<br />
two.<br />
In looking back, I realize that this was abuse. I can also<br />
see how this affected my sense of self-worth, social development,<br />
and many other things. In his view, locking me in my<br />
room was part of his military standards of reform. I was in<br />
isolation. I was taught that mistakes and failure to adhere<br />
to his strict structure would be met <strong>with</strong> severe consequences.<br />
I was once removed from my home by child protective<br />
services, when teachers from my school recognized strange<br />
behavior, which resulted in the nurse checking me and finding<br />
bruises on my body.<br />
It may be hard for people <strong>with</strong> no experience <strong>with</strong> child<br />
abuse to understand this, but at the time, I saw nothing<br />
wrong <strong>with</strong> what was happening to me. I thought this was<br />
how everyone was raised.<br />
Although my mother eventually caught onto his abuse,<br />
and subsequently left him, the effects of my environment<br />
stayed, and developed into a variety of disorders. I was di-<br />
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