They were all recipients of physical abuse. Whenever his mother was in a bad mood or experienced a bad day, she took it out on her children. Often for no reason, she disciplined them with any object that was close at hand. It was an old slave whipping. She would use a switch (a small thin tree or bush limb), extension cord or high-heeled shoe; she hit them in the face with her fist.
The mentally ill mother, also subjected Hunter and his brothers and sisters to mental abuse. She discouraged school and offered no encouragement. She would sometimes call the girls prostitutes, ugly and drug addicts. She told her boys that they were lazy and would likely spend their respective lives in jail. Hunter’s mother was relentless in her attempts to destroy her children. As a result, the 19th child and some of his siblings became stronger and contributors to society. Today she is grandmother to 63 who are themselves parent to 61.
Paul is now a writer, entrepreneur and a budding business man. To find out more about Paul, and to get the full story from his book, click here and here.
My Story: “20 Siblings, But I Survived” was originally published on blackdoctor.org
