I'm sorry but a beating that results in a broken rib is abuse. Your father is not going to jail because of you, but because of what he did, and your girlfriend was right.

But you don't see it that way because the people in charge of teaching you right from wrong, and of teaching you how to exist in the world and how to relate to other people, taught you to think it was fine for you to be beaten.

You're right when you say it can be hard to draw the line as to what is and isn't abuse. Some people think, say, hitting a kid with a belt is abuse, while some don't. But a broken bone? That is abuse. That is violent. That is not okay.

I know it's hard. I know it's painful and difficult and confusing and conflicting because you're attached to your parents and you don't want them to get into trouble.

But, one day, you will be glad someone did something, that someone noticed and spoke up. Honestly.