coyote: No offense taken. I've done *much* soul-searching and growing up through the horrid experiences in my past. I accept them as part of what makes me who I am. I would not *be* the strong, self-assured woman I am today if I had not gone through those dark times. I've been able to help others make the decision to leave a bad relationship as a result of my own story. I've taken the bad and made it good. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I'm also glad I broke that cycle and can now have a functional relationship where we communicate with one another and don't try to dominate, but strive to be equals. I also had to realize, even functional relationships have arguments and it's not the end of the world when you do.
Having said that, I appreciate, Thoran, that you gave me some insight on what brought you to your conclusions. And I do not doubt nor disagree that DV is not *just* a "bad man" thing. I've even known a few couples where it was quite obvious the woman was "in charge" and did not doubt that if the meek male in the relationship ever stood up to her, there would be physical violence heaped on his head. And I agree that since it's still a predominantly "male dominated" society that we live in, the thought of a man saying "my wife beats me" is liable to get him ridiculed by his peers, but I've even seen some court cases on TV where the man was suing either for divorce or for damages from a woman who had jumped on him. Perhaps things will change in time...for all involved.
And on the issue of child abuse...don't forget the rising cases of "parent abuse" where "children" are now the aggressors to their parents. My own cousin did this to my aunt. My second husband's nephew did it to his grandparents. You see cases all over the place nowadays of this. Not a good trend, but how do you stop it when punishing a child for misbehaving is now scrutinized so closely for signs of "abuse"? I fear it's a no-win situation...