Approximately five children die each day in the U.S. from physical abuse. However, no one counts the ones who commit suicide from verbal abuse. If so, the number would skyrocket. Sadly, some verbally abused children will grow up to be just like their parents. New York's Steve Simpson is aware of this. He grew up in a house with a father who couldn’t deal with his children, his demons…or his alcoholism. Steve survived – barely – and now leads a support group in his hometown in New York. He tells the young people, “Your parents are fighting demons they don’t understand.” He tells them, “They’re afraid or worried about things that don’t concern you but since they can’t deal with these issues they take their frustrations out on you. It’s not about you, though. It’s never about you.”
He speaks frequently to parent groups about the signs of abuse and tells them to be aware of:
- Children who avoid eye contact with adults and offer little or no conversation.
- Violent, over-the-top reactions to aggression from other children.
- Children who react nervously to loud voices or conflicts.
- Uncommon or unusual reactions when they see other children interacting with their parents.
Nationally recognized and award-winning, Simpson also just released The Teenage and Young Adult Survival Handbook -- a small guide that is modestly tucked inside in all four of his YA adventure novels which covers most of the topics plaguing young people today—suicide, bullying, sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, self-worth, being the child of an addict, living in a dysfunctional home, surviving school and more. This is a way for children and teens to seek help in a private way. It can get better. We can fight this epidemic.
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