The one regarding my father, I can see what you are saying about the primary instincts bit, but the other part about the looking into his eyes is true but more so.
To me, the beating, at that point, was meaningless (I was numbed) and I was not trying to stop him from beating me. I just wanted to know his truth, and I saw it, and he knew I saw it.
At that instance truth flowed between us, I saw his and he saw mine. Truth (right conscience) awoke him and he then chose to stop beating me. quote 2/B

Yes, you got the courage to look at him as you had grown numb to the beating. You looking at him meant you saw "him", and while you are discribing it as a truth between you, YES, and that is what he did not want you to see, once you saw it, it was over.

He was taking his "own" weakness out on you, but once you turned around and looked right at him, he could not continue. He was really weak because he took it out on a mere child. He picked your mother for a reason, "to control her" and that is why she stood there not knowing what to do to help you.