My heart ached. I felt bad for Jen.
I don’t know why, I just can’t listen to stories like this. I can’t imagine how fragile and vulnerable a small kid is when he is being abused or beaten by a parent. He is so innocent and naive. How on earth a parent could do such things to his own child! In this case, it was her mother that wielded violence on Jen just because of bad mood or lost in gamble. Her mother used her as the target for releasing her anger and stress.
For those who have the tendency to beat your child up, no matter how bad you feel, be real and don’t victimize your child. Use other channels that are more proper. Instead, you should shower them with love. Make a commitment to yourself, use only your mouth not your hands when it comes to giving your child a lesson. It worked for me (yes, I used to use spanking when my child refused to listen or other things that upset me), so there should be no excuses.
Alternatively, learn how you can play a part in preventing child abuse and put a stop to it.