People who have not been entangled in abusive relationships often ask, “Why doesn’t she just leave?” By reading Trading Places, by Natalie Hutchison and Mary Turner Thomson, you begin to understand.
Natalie Hutchison was reproached as a child, ignored by her first husband, then physically abused by her second husband. Finally, she decided enough was enough. Natalie escaped the abuse, went back to work, started a business, and in 2006 won the Barclays Bank Trading Places award, given to individuals who overcome tremendous personal adversity to turn their lives around.
Natalie had health problems as an adolescent, and she tells how her parents reacted to her medical issues.You see the seeds of self-doubt being planted. This is how it starts. This is how some women become primed to be victims of abuse.
Then, Natalie tells her story and how she felt—and that, I believe, is the value of this story. It clearly illustrates the thought processes and emotional hooks experienced by the victims of domestic violence.
But this is a story with a happy ending. Natalie learns to trust herself, then makes a leap of faith to start her own business and rebuild her life. She leaves the pain behind to find joy and success.
Trading Places is available now in the Lovefraud Store.
Tilly
Even though i left him with the p from when my boy was 12, my boy came to stay with me ( I lived interstate )every school holidays. The p didn’t tell me that my son ran away from home every week for years. The p waited until my son was 20 before he told me that.
I lost my boy when he was 12 and i didn’t even know it until now.
amelia
I have a son in law that treats me very badly, only me because i think that i have exposed him. he has been so nasty to my daughter, has thrown her on the street, everytime she really needed him to be nice to her when her family came to visit. He treats his mother badly and brother also, because he thinks that he is right and everybody else are wrong. He is well educated, but has no pride, feels no guilt. Blames all their arguments on me or his mother. He has confused my daughter so she does not know what is right or wrong. He never gives in, no matter how much she cries he will never give her , her way. The only way there is peace in their house is when she agrees with him, if she doesnt he will not even speak to her. She always have to agree with him. He tells me that he doesnt want his kids to see too much of me. I am not good enough. i come from a good family, my daughters are well educated. His mother says that he is jealous of me. She also thinks that there is something wrong with him. He talks about me to everybody, blames me for all the fights he has with my daughter. My daughter is a bit confused i think and she enjoys the good life he gives her specially after he has been nasty to me he gives her what she wants, for a while and then it starts all over again. She knows nothing about their financial situation, she says she doesnt care, because if she did it would be more problems, so she just make asif nothing bothers her. I am not too sure what he is doing. I think he might have an affair, she doesnt want to know as long as he gives her what she wants, but she is unhappy. This man has been so cruel and so nasty. i wish I could tell you what he has said and done, and then he will do something nice and says. Just to show you that i can be nice. He manipulates, controls, uses people and when he has used you he just turns on you. What would you call him.
Donna Andersen
Amelia,
What you are describing sounds like a sociopath to me. Please keep reading the articles on this blog. They may help clarify what you are seeing.
Tilly
In my class today my fake P friend gave me an ugly bead, “to help me get better” in front of the p teacher (I am very ill and it is obvious), so they both were doing their acting in front of each other. Then my p teacher made some hideous cruel jokes about my fat head (due to infection), so that she would get a laugh out of the class.
So I laughed at the joke on me. I thanked my fake p friend for her hideous ugly magic bead given to me only to earn brownie points off the p teacher. Then i went and puked in the toilet, and went home. Ah yes, recovery is just pure bliss.
Tilly
Thanks for all your supportive comments in regard to my son. Anyone would think i was a winger and just feeling sorry for myself.
Ox Drover
Dear Tilly,
If your tooth is infected (abscessed) and swollen jaw, this is a SERIOUS medical condition and you should see a dentist or a physician for some antibiotics IMMEDIATELY. GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM AT A HOSPITAL ASAP IF NO OTHER WAY.
putting on CARING, LOVING, KIND nursie hat here now: TILLY, DON’T MAKE ME COME AFTER YOU WITH THE SKILLET! I don’t know if Fat or Hairy can swim to OZ!
Seriously, an abscessed tooth is a medical emergency and can lead to DEATH!!!!!
Yor teacher and your FAKE friend laughing at your pain and infection is like some one making fun of a blind man, or a legless person—-but what else could you expect from a P?
((((TILLY)))) xoxoxox Oxy
Tilly
Don’t worry Oxy, i been down at the emergency every night for 5 nights. ( a 6 hour wait everytime in hell, all the p nurses work in emergency). The Inside of the bone in the gum is full of infection. but it costs 2 thousand two hundred to fix it the specialist/dentist. and the hospital won’t touch it here. But they gave me morphine if you hadn’t noticed. But i am not a junkie and i hate morphine. It just makes you vomit and doesn’t take the pain away. Then leaves me with a massive headache.
Its gone through my whole body.
I reckon God is trying to tell me something.
BUT WHAT???????????????????????????????????????????????
Tilly
Should I go see the ex p dentist?? ha ha
Ox Drover
Dear Tilly,
MORPHINE IS NOT WHAT YOU NEED, it is ANTIBIOTICS! I am serious as cancer sweetie, I have worked in ICU with patients who DIED from this—antibiotics won’t “cure” it but will knock it down for a while until you can find some way to get it fixed, or the tooth pulled. It CANNOT be pulled while it is hot with infection. I can’t believe the ER did not give you antibiotics immediately!!!!!
The infection must be knocked down and the tooth either root canaled (drilled the nerve out) or the tooth must be pulled as soon as the infection is knocked down. Tilly, go to SOME dentist and get some antibiotics at the VERY LEAST. Morphine isn’t gonna help th eproblem, it is like putting a band aid on a bullet wound!!!
No dentist should charge you an arm or a leg for a short visit where they will give you antibiotics….and then you can figure out some way besides letting this run on and DYING. And YES, I AM WORRIED!!!!! That was what I did for a living was to WORRY about people!!!!
This is your last chance, Tilly, or I get the skillet out and get Fat some swim fins and a snorkle—wonder what a bray would sound like through a snorkle???? (((hugs))))
Ox Drover
ps. Tilly,
God is telling you to LISTEN TO OXY CAUSE SHE LOVES YOU!!!