stairs. I went into the kitchen and saw my father pushing my mum around the kitchen. He pushed
her once too many times and pushed into the dining room table really hard. She crashed into the
table and stumbled to the ground. I started crying when I saw her hurt. My father saw me and
rushed past me, out of the room. That day he broke Mum’s thumb and I will always hate him for
that.
When I was three and a half we stopped living with my father and started living on our own. My
mum was working at her friend’s hotel. That’s where my mum met my new dad. He was complain-
ing that he couldn’t get his suitcase into the elevator with everyone else. He complained to Mum and
she just said, “With those strong arms I think you could manage to carry your suitcase up two flights
of stairs.”
When I was five we went to live in Indonesia with my new dad. My mum and new dad got mar-
ried there. After my new dad finished work in Indonesia he came to Australia, while we went back
to England for Christmas.
In January 1996 Mum and I came to Australia, Dad picked us up from the airport and took us
to our apartment. It was a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom unit. It was really nice.
My problems started again when my father started sending me letters. He spelt my name with 2
“Ls,” instead of one. I told him that my name was correctly spelt with 1 “L.” He insisted it was spelt
with two and that caused another argument.
There has been many times over the years where my father has lied to me and hurt me emo-
tionally, so sometime last year I told my father that I did not wish to speak to him anymore. That is
my resolution for now. It might not seem much but I find it fine and at least I’m not getting hurt.
STORY 98
ROCK YOUR WAY OUT OF IT
(contributed by Jonathon Matthews)Therapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Feeling unloved/unwanted
■ Being a victim of bullying
■ Loneliness
■ Depression
■ Loss of self-esteem
■ Suicidal thoughtsResources Developed
■ Looking after yourself
■ Thinking about the future
■ Looking for what you enjoy
■ Thinking about what is wonderful
■ Deciding to live222 Healing Stories, Teaching Stories