A Child Called It By David Pelzer

1319 Words6 Pages

Child abuse is a topic that is found in the general population, but is an underestimated problem. Abuse is evident both physically, psychologically, sexually, or even in the form of neglect. For example, in the memoir A Child Called "It", David Pelzer’s experiences of abuse by his mother are shared as well as his road to help. Although the majority of his experiences are physical, the emotional effects of abuse he faces are evident as he views himself in a way she has taught him too, and slowly loses hope and faith of a future or of being loved by anyone. There are many ways to help suffering children in the world, and some of it can even be done by starting at home. The facts are astounding but often unknown. According to the …show more content…

She physically harms him by making him drink ammonia, starving him, almost drowning him, burning him, making him eat dog food, making him eat his own vomit, and even stabbing him at one point in time (Pelzer, 1995). Emotionally, she makes him think it’s his fault by telling him he is a bad boy and deserves being punished to the point where he wants to protect her and has no self esteem (Pelzer, 1995, p. 11). During all of this, David’s father does what he can to help David, but in the end, when he finds his marriage ruined, he leaves, leaving no one there to protect David (Pelzer, 1995). Finally, an alert school teacher notices the repeated bruises, and with the help of the nurse and principal, frees David once and for all (Pelzer, 1995, p. …show more content…

96). Even though neither of these methods are ideal for handling the trauma of having an abusive parent, keeping it inside and pretending it didn’t happen is just as bad and could lead to psychological problems if never addressed (Pelzer 1995, p.