My name is Mark. My younger brother and sister and I lived in a violent family for some time now. It has affected my life a whole lot. It wasn't always like that until my dad lost his job at the steel mill. Then he would go out and get drunk every weekend. My mom struggled to make money and put food on the table, and she nagged my dad about going out and finding a job. He got very upset when she told him that she was doing all the work and he was just sitting around and doing nothing. It got to the point where they started arguing over things that didn't make any sense.

Then one day my dad just exploded and hit her repeatedly in the face. After that he started beating her whenever he was upset over even little things. Every time they fought I would get very scared and confused. My younger brother and sister would start crying and would go to their rooms where they cried their lungs out. And my mom really never did anything about it. She never turned him in and would just go about her business as if nothing happened. Sometimes she would miss a couple days of work because she wanted to wait until the bruises and blackeyes healed but she never told anybody what was happening to her. I fell behind in school because I couldn't concentrate on my studies at home. My brother and sister were always late for school and they weren't doing so good in school either.

My dad's drinking worsened, and he started drinking every day. His fights with my mom became even more common. When they started fighting I'd take my brother and sister up to my room and lock the door and we wouldn't come out until the next morning. Every weekend he would go out and drink heavily and wouldn't come home until the wee hours of the morning. He got to the point where he was easily irritated, even with us, and he got angry at us for just little mistakes. Then when he started to get really violent I would take my brother and sister to my uncle and aunt's house.

After awhile my dad wouldn't even let my mom leave the house for work. It was like he wanted to keep her prisoner in the house. One day I got tired of this and did something about it. My dad was beating my mom up pretty badly, so after taking my brother and sister up to my room I ran next door to my best friend's house and asked him if I could use their phone. I called the police and told them I had an emergancy at our address. But I didn't tell them what was happening. I stayed at my friend's until the police arrived.

After they took my dad away, my mom got upset with me and asked why I turned him in. I replied that he was better off in jail and that she didn't deserve to get hit by a man who only beat women. But she still got mad at me for turning him in. I guess I'll never understand her. I just did what I thought was right!

Fred Alstrom