“Domestic Violence: The Effects on Children Who Witness Abuse” by Andrea Borroel Trujillo

 

          “He accused her of sleeping with the neighbor. All the while, he was pushing her, throwing her on the ground, hitting her in the head. Finally, he threw her into the brick barbecue pit next to the house, hitting her repeatedly after she hit the bricks. When she didn't get up, he suddenly quit and went into the house. She got up slowly. It took weeks for her back, which was injured from being pushed against the bricks, and the bruises to heal.” This is a short part of a story out a child who grew up living in domestic violence, this is also what some children witness everyday in their lives when they get home,

      Domestic violence is a problem some children face at home, it can affect kids later on in their lives as teens. The adolescents who are being abused can have bad grades at school because they don't pay attention in class. They could also have low self-esteem, feel lonely/insecure, this occurs because their whole life they have been put down. Adolescents that live in domestic violence start to use drugs and alcohol at a young age, they use this as a way to get away from problems and away from everything and everyone. They also use drugs and alcohol to forget things and to find their “happy place”, later on the teens can become addicted to these substances that are very harmful to the human body. As the teens are growing up they start to develop criminal behavior. For example the teens may get involved with gangs, guns, and drug dealers. They can also start to get more aggressive because they start to have anger issues, committing crimes or bullying is a way to get their frustration out. Some teens could become parents at an early because they feel pressured to have sexual intercourse. This can happen when they are drunk; or because they are not thinking straight. Some teens also try to run away, and some have suicidal thoughts. 50% of kids living in domestic violence committed suicide, and others are 6x more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.

    “I grew up witnessing domestic abuse. My mum would get beaten by my father. When she wasn't there he would turn to me and my brothers. I used to sit in my room and hear them fighting then I'd hear my mum scream and I'd know he'd have hit her. To be honest, at the age I was at, I actually thought it was normal. I thought that many families were like this but now when I think about it I was in denial because I never mentioned it to my friends or teachers.” - Jay

          There is many causes of domestic violence. Some are low-self esteem, anger issues, and possibly depression. Low-self esteem can cause domestic violence at home because the abuser feels the need to be in control of their partner. Some abusers are overprotective and get jealous easily, this can cause them to use extreme measures and they will do anything to make them obey. Anger issues and depression can also be a cause because the abusers don't feel satisfied with their life. This can cause them to have many emotions inside of them and hurt their family to get that anger out. Some kids who live with domestic violence are 3x more likely to do it too when they are adults.
         
          Some ways we can help abusers (the person that is responsible for the abuse) are: going to family intervention programs, speaking up, telling them your opinions, and giving them tips. Family intervention programs are designed to help the abusers understand that violence and use of control is bad and they should stop.Telling them your opinion about how you feel maybe will make them reconsider their actions. You can tell them that what they’re doing is wrong, that they shouldn’t hurt their loved ones, and domestic violence (abuse) is a crime and they can go to jail for that. You can also give them advice or tips. For example telling them ways they should change, or telling them about programs that could help them deal with their problems. Victims of domestic violence also need help. There is counseling and mental health interventions that can help the victims affected by domestic violence. Individual therapy can help the victims work through emotions and help them feel safe again. Dyadic treatment groups can help the victim feel like they are not alone and this can help them overcome the abuse.

Nonfiction Article

         The article “Pluto’s icy heart may hide an ocean” by Lee Billings tells how astronomers found evidence that says there could possibly be an entire ocean under the surface on Pluto. NASA’s New Horizon flew by Pluto last year, the probe saw a hearth shaped plain that had many cracks around and other parts of the planet. They also found another plain that is similar but this plain is lined with the moon Charon, scientists suggest this happened because the pain is heavy and it made the Planet tilt.

          There is many things I found interesting in the article because it is about space and I learned new things. One interesting thing I found in the article is that in Pluto there is a lot of ice and, “There, nitrogen and other ‘volatile’ gases freeze solid in the cryogenic conditions, and water turns to rock-hard ice. For decades scientists have theorized how that ice might act as an insulator, preserving vestiges of warmth and moisture deep within Pluto and other objects so far from the sun.” I find this interesting because last year in science we did a whole unit on planets and we didn't learn anything about possible oceans in other planets. Another reason I find this interesting is because the whole planet is pretty much ice, but there is 2 regions where there is water freezing under the surface. An ocean under a surface sounds unusual but then again scientists found lakes under the ocean so it doesn't sound as weird. Pluto is an exo planet, meaning it is not in our solar system and astronomers can see the planet and even send probes by Pluto and that is startling.

         There is many things I learned and many things I won't forget. For example one thing I learned that I will probably never forget is about the 2 plains the astronomers found because they are craters filled with ice. I think I'm most likely not going to forget this because this was one of the main ideas and one of the things I took from the article. A heavy crater filled with ice is interesting to me because I had never heard or thought about something like that. Knowing this I feel like I am more open minded to things that seem impossible because there is still discoveries to be made.

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