Hi there,

I've been working through a lot of issues brought on by childhood abandonment and have finally reached a point where I should be grieving the fact that I never had what you'd call a mother, but this is where I find myself stuck.

I've realised I'm scared to death of crying. I'm absolutely certain that if I do, I'll receive a smack. I can't remember ever being hit, but I know that at least the threat of violence existed when I was growing up, from my dad.

I guess what I need to ask is that surely, no healthy person would hit anyone for crying? On the contrary, isn't the normal reaction to be concerned and want to help?