Story Challenge: Letter “C”

Hi Bloggers! Do you have to share a story or a short reflection tagged with the letter “C”? For example I’ve written about CHILDHOOD and CHERNOBYL, CATS and CHATS, CIRCLES and CHALLENGES, CRUISESHIPS and CAPTAINS, CELEBRATIONS and CUCKOO CLOCKS, CAPPUCCINO or CAPPADOCCIA, CRUELTY and CHINA, CENSORSHIP and CAMOUFLAGE, CITIES and CUCUMBERS, CHANGES and CONTACTS, CRISTIANITY or CARTOONS, COFFINS and COLORS, COCA COLA and CASTLES, CHARACTER or CONCENTRATION, CONTRASTS and CULTURES, CARNIVAL or CARS, CELIBACY or CURIOSITY, CORMORANTS and COURAGE, CINEMAS or CATHEDRALS, COLOGNE or CALCUTTA, CAFÉS and COMMUNITIES – I’m sure you’ll find an own story or a short reflection tagged with “C”! Feel free to add in the comments the link to your personal interpretation of the letter “C”!!!

CHILDHOOD

photo by just jb / Joan Barrett; title=”A Look of Warning”
– click on the picture to enter her flickr galleries

my “C” story / reflection / short comment tagged with “C”:

Not every childhood is filled with love and happiness. Sometimes it can be a nightmare. Abuse. Absurd corporal punishment rites. Because I had such a childhood, I am interested, if artists create compositions, which can be bridges of understanding and empathy leading into such a dark world…
P.S.
Born 1945 I was immediately given into an orphanage. Adopted three years later I did not enter a paradise. My ex-Nazi father liked to repeat and practice physical punishment rites (every evening 7 p.m.) – similar those he had seen in the concentration camps of the world war II. Additional I usually was locked in the night in the basement where it was dark. Similar locked doors metaphorically I had to discover getting overwhelmed by youth gangs, religious groups, inhuman military discipline etc. – it was a long way into liberty fenced in the post-war Nazi German society. I have to thank for support: my wife Barbara and some friends and teachers. Of course I tried not to hurt my own children in the same way. I tried to change the principles of education radically…
Recently I was surprised, looking at the wikipedia map, in how many countries it is still allowed to beat children. Germany and Spain after all those years of Fascism did learn. Scandinavia seems to be a paradise – but what is happening in many other countries?

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feedbacks at https://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/black-childhood/:
1 – for example Teresa answered there:
Thank you for being brave enough to write about such a sensitive subject. I’m so sorry that you had to struggle through such a horrific childhood. Just because it’s quick, cheap and deters unruliness in the short run, I do not think that corporal punishment should be used on small children. There are more ethical ways to discipline children: time outs in a designated, safe spot; withholding privileges; praise and rewards for good behavior; etc.). Albeit they take a little more time and effort, but I think they are worth it. According to Wikipedia, “The American Psychological Association opposes the use of corporal punishment in schools, juvenile facilities, child care nurseries, and all other institutions, public or private, where children are cared for or educated. It claims that corporal punishment is violent and unnecessary, may lower self-esteem, and is liable to instill hostility and rage without reducing the undesired behavior. The APA also states that corporal punishment is likely to train children to use physical violence.” Kudos for not using physical violence to discipline your children FrizzText. Congratulations on breaking the cycle of child abuse that could have occurred!

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2 – Myra GB (read in the comments below) replied:
One of the earliest research studies I was privileged enough to be a part of was documenting stories of children survivors of various forms of abuse: physical, sexual, prostituted children, street kids or those engaged in child labor – and many others. I was a fresh psych undergraduate at the time and was working on my PhD program in clinical psych. Nothing prepared me for the horrific stories I heard. Yet despite all that, I was moved by the amazing resilience of the children and how they managed to go past their pain and transcend it. Some don’t, but most do. I am glad that you have gone beyond your own personal pain and are able to see it from another perspective – one that is still filled with questions and anguish, but filled with wisdom as well from the experience.
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the positive version of childhood:

title=”Saturday Morning” – photo by -will wilson- San Francisco
related:
The “C” Archive + The “C” Challenge + Childhood Flashbacks + Chernobyl + Cappadoccia
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