Contemporary Relevence.

One key issue that was evidently explored in my book was the issue of domestic violence and how it affects the children and teens in a household who witness it. In the past two decades, domestic violence has become more widespread amongst our society. Domestic violence has damaging and harmful effects on individuals and their families.

When infants, kids, or teenagers live with domestic violence, the impact of effect can be both visible on the outside and the inside where it's harder to see. When younger children are exposed to domestic violence in their homes, oftentimes, they don’t understand the meaning of the abuse they observe and tend to believe that they must have done something wrong. Self-blame can lead to feelings of guilt, worry, and anxiety. Children normally, don't have the ability to express their feelings verbally. Consequently, the symptoms of these emotions become behavioural. Children may become withdrawn, non-verbal, and show signs of behaviour such as clinging and whining. Eating and sleeping difficulty, concentration problems, and physical pain such as headaches are common.

Unlike younger children, teenagers have a greater ability to exhibit negative emotions and verbalize. In addition to symptoms commonly seen with child hood behaviour, such as sleep problems and eating disturbance, victims within this age group may show a loss of interest in social activities, avoidance of peers, rebellious behaviour in school and low self-conception. It is also normal for the teenager to have temper tantrums, irritability, frequent fighting at school or between siblings with violence, and attempts to gain attention through physical abuse against peers and/or family members. Adolescents are at risk of academic failure, school drop-out, and substance abuse. It is more likely for girls to withdraw themselves and unfortunately, run the risk of not being able to get help as a child in need of support.

This information relates to my book in many ways. When Danny's mother was physically abused, out of both children in the family, Danny was effected the most. Many of the symptoms listed above were the exact same ways Danny expressed his negative emotions. One thing in common was that he showed a loss of interest in school. He used to be getting good grades in his old school, and participated in a lot of teams and clubs. Ever since his father's trial Danny stopped doing his homework, and simply stopped caring about his schoolwork. Another thing in common was that he showed his anger by frequently fighting with his mother. He constantly blamed his mother for the way he life had changed, and lashed out at her whenever he was angry. Danny also turned to alcohol and smoking when he was going through a hard time. He hung out with the wrong group of friends and became caught onto bad behaviours.

When you witness domestic violence in your home, it can change you into a totally different person. You'll find yourself keeping more to yourself, avoiding others, and you turn into a more violent person. In order to get your life back on track, you need to get help. You can get help by calling kids help phone, 1-800-668-6868, and talk to a counsellor about your problems. All it takes is one phone call to help you be a better person again.


Bibliography
"Children and Domestic Violence." Centre for children and families in the justice system. March. 2011. 16 May. 2011.
<http://www.lfcc.on.ca/children_exposed_to_domestic_violence.html>. 


Volpe, Joseph S. "Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and Adolescents." American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. May 2001. 16 May. 2011. 
<http://www.aaets.org/arts/art8.htm>.