Let’s stop pretending. Let’s stop pretending that domestic violence is something that only happens “between the adults.” Let’s stop pretending tha
Let’s stop pretending.
Let’s stop pretending that domestic violence is something that only happens “between the adults.”
Let’s stop pretending that children are “too young to understand” when a parent is punched, pushed, cursed out, belittled, or terrorized.
Let’s stop pretending that kids are “resilient” enough to bounce back from watching the person who nurtures them be broken down in front of them.
Because they don’t bounce back.
They carry it.
Deep in their nervous systems.
In their bones.
In their sleep.
In the way they form relationships.
In the way they guard themselves.
In the way they either silence their pain—or start to mirror the violence themselves.
Children are victims of domestic violence.
Not just witnesses.
Not just bystanders.
Victims.
When a child hears doors slamming and voices rising, that’s violence.
When they see the fear in their mother’s eyes, that’s violence.
When the pregnancy is high-risk because stress hormones flood the womb—that’s violence, too.
When their home becomes a battlefield, it doesn’t matter if they were in the other room—they are still wounded.
We know better now. And when we know better, we must do better.
If a man brings violence into a home, he harms every person in that dwelling.
Every. Single. One.
The baby in the womb.
The toddler trying to sleep.
The grade-schooler praying behind a closed door.
The teen pretending it’s not a big deal while their world is quietly collapsing.
We need to stop minimizing the cost to children.
Some will grow up believing violence is love.
Some will try to overachieve their way out of the trauma.
Some will turn it inward, blaming themselves.
Some will lash out, repeating what they saw.
All will remember. Even if they don’t have words for it yet.
This is why many survivors fight for full custody.
This is why safe visitation matters.
This is why shelters protect not just women, but the entire family unit.
Because violence is a poison—and children deserve to grow up without it in their bloodstream.
Let’s speak the truth.
Let’s make the invisible visible.
Let’s protect children by protecting their safe caregivers.
And let’s stop pretending violence stops at the front door of the nursery.
Children deserve peace. Not proof.
#WeSurviveAbuse #ProtectChildren #DomesticViolenceHurtsEveryone #EndTheSilence
