Momma Why?

Her Name Is Diane Jones. Today Her Presence Is Calm And Warm. I Knew Her As A Quiet Terrified Child Struggling To Grow Up Nay Even To Stay Alive In A Large Violent Matriarchal Family. There Was No Father Figure Only A Sequence Of Men. Diane Was Thirteen Years Old When I First Met Her. Through A Program In The California Department Of Social Services I Had Been Assigned To Be Big Sister To A Younger Sister Of Diane. This Younger Sister Was Also Badly Abused Both In Maternal Violence And In Sexual Abuse As Was Diane But To A Much Lesser Degree. I Thought Of Diane'S Mother As A Raging Bull With Massive Mood Swings From Manipulative And Charming To A Cruel Mean And Evil Woman. I Myself Was Afraid Of Her. If I Had Known What Was Really Going On During The Years I Worked With The Family I Would Not Have Had The Power To Do Anything About It. My Only Hope And Motivation At That Time Was To Give Them A View Of What Life Was Like From A Different Perspective And Thus Help Them Be Kinder To Their Children. I Am Always Appalled By The Fact That Social Services Felt It Was Best To Keep Children Connected To Their Families No Matter How Monstrous The Evil In The Home. Twenty-Six Years Later We Are All Wiser.. Melanie Taylor