Call Aunty Vi

by Isobella
(Cardiff)

I am 64 and still find it hard to comprehend my mother and father's pure neglect towards myself and my three siblings. I never did and still don't feel that my parents were good parents. I seem to know at a very young age that our suffering was due to two very selfish people.

I knew that my father needed to stop being a compulsive gambler and drunk and that my mother was very week and not very interested in us - yet I absolutely adored her. I never once thought it was our fault. I knew they were seriously lacking parental abilities. Yet I read that children tend to blame themselves initially.

My upbringing has cause enormous difficulties for all four of us. I am convinced that had we have decent parents we would all have gone far - we were traumatised, with stunted grow due to lack of love - and that is basically what is it - some people are not able to love their children as much as they love themselves.