Donna Ignored Signs Of Danger Towards Her Children Essay

Throughout the book, Donna ignored signs of danger towards her children. The first signs of danger was the domestic violence, among Donna and Frank, which was displayed in front of the children. Most parents want their children to be in a safe environment; that was not the case in Lisa’s home. At the age of five, Donna made Lisa start walking to school by herself. No one in the family really thought about how dangerous it was for a five year old to be walking by herself; however, it was allowed and thought as a norm. At the age of seven, Frank started making Lisa touch his penis and Donna would watch and laugh. There would be no intervening the foul play because it was seen as a minor joke. Donna would sit, watch, and laugh as Frank forced

A caring and safe mother would have stopped the sexual abuse from continuing, but Donna would ignore it and grab what she wanted from the room and leave. In the story, Lisa said that her mother would sit downstairs and wait for Frank to be done. At the age of twelve, Donna began to get jealous of Lisa and Frank’s relationship. Lisa would feel as though her mother was competing for Frank’s love and did not see Lisa in harm’s way but as competition. After the sexual abuse Lisa would be sent to her room for the night and would have to sit and listen as her mother moaned loudly, during sex, so her daughter could hear. During the sexual abuse, Lisa thought that maybe her mother did not know what was going on. Lisa could not believe that her mother was not stopping Frank or helping her. At the age of twelve, Lisa tried to tell her mother but instead of responding in a helpful manner, Donna beat her and told Lisa that she was at fault for the abuse. Lisa was not even permitted to go to the doctor when she developed cysts in her vagina. Donna’s response was based around the fact that she did not want Katrina to be taken by Social