I am Matt Grady. When I was growing up, even though my family wasn't perfect I used to think it was pretty good. But I later understood that my family was what some people called dysfunctional and abusive. When I did even the slightest thing wrong I would get a terrible beating.

My parents were Bill and Anna Robinson. I also have a younger sister, Sarah. At that time I was only ten and my sister was six.

Sometimes my stepfather would beat me and I would end up having so many bruises on my face I didn't even want to see my friends. And when the teachers asked what happened I would say I fell or got in a fight. I spent most of my time with my sister to make sure nothing happened to her. Sometimes during the night I would hear my parents fighting, and I would go spy on them and watch from the corner of the stairs. Once in a while I would hear a slap like someone was hitting a pound of beef, and the next day my mother would have a bruise on her face.When we had some time to talk I asked her to leave him. But she always said it was her fault even though I would hear my stepfather drunk and knew he had started all the fights.

It continued like that for a couple more years. When Bill got drunk and things got very bad my mother, sister and I would leave Bill and go hide at my grandparent's house. My grandparents, Richard and Jenny Grady, lived in the country outside of Seattle. They had a farm there with some animals. I liked to visit their farm because they taught me how to ride some of their horses. My grandpa also liked to take me out fishing.

Over the past three years we went to my grandparents about four times to hide out. I enjoyed going there to visit and to get away from that maniac. While we were there he would keep calling and saying it would never happen again, but it never stopped. Sometimes when we didn't answer he would come looking for us and my grandpa would have to send him away.

Now I am 17, and last year I finally got tired of him and his violence. I beat him up so bad I broke his arm and told him never to come back. And to this day we have not heard from him except a couple of times when he paid his child support.

By Garrett Evan