Love/Hate (The definition of "abuse".)

...sort of branches into yet another topic, the definition of "abuse".

For starters, I think that what makes abuse "abuse" is what is behind the action (or lack thereof), as opposed to the action itself.

For example, if I slap my kid after he spits in my face, that's not abuse, that is (can be) a human reaction. If I slap him because he ran out in front of a car, that is (can be) discipline. If I slap my kid because I knocked over my bottle of whiskey, that's abuse.


Were my parents abusive? Yes, but not because of their disciplinary actions, or even their human reactions.

Do I fear them? No. Once you know what a person can do to you, and once you know that you can survive it, there's nothing left to fear. It is the unknown which we fear.