[Amy Dempsey]

My father is a great example of how a child can experience a lot of hardship when they are younger and have it impact their life when they are older. My father was neglected by his mother, saw his father commit suicide, and experienced many other hardships (lack of food, lack of money, lack of physical touch/love). As an adult my father never showed affection to me or my siblings. He is a very bitter, angry man. He never got the proper treatment for all that he experienced as a child and it has definitely carried over into adulthood. It is a very sad situation. He is always on the defense, he does not open up with others, and he does not communicate with others regarding a serious situation without being angry. He was never taught the basic skills of communication as he was always yelled at. I do feel it’s possible with the right treatment/intervention for a child who has experienced any type of neglect to be successful as an adult if they are willing to work for it.