Movie Review: Growing Up Precious

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Recommended: social work and casestudy

Growing Up Precious Claireece “Precious” Jones faced unrelenting challenges at the hands of the people who were supposed to love her and take care of her. Several times while watching this movie I was overwhelmed with what other people were willing to tolerate. Knowing that someone is going through something like this, I can’t imagine being able to sit back and let it happen without offering up some kind of solution, especially if I were in any kind of position to help. I waited and waited for someone to ask enough questions to finally be able to help Precious and get her out of her mother’s house. I was not surprised to see that Precious brought her son to the school seeking refuge. Rather, I wondered what took her so long. Several different …show more content…

This maltreatment can involve physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse. Precious was mistreated in all these ways from a very young age. Her mother physically abused her. She beat her, kicked her during labor, and threw objects at her. Her father sexually abused her. He molested her and raped her, starting when she was three years old. This dysfunctional and abusive relationship resulted in two pregnancies. The first of these pregnancies produced a special needs child, a little girl with Down syndrome. The second produced a healthy son. Precious was neglected by her mother in several instances. Her mother neglected to protect her from her father’s abuse, neglected to provide for her basic needs, and neglected to visit her or look for her when she was in the hospital having a baby. And, throughout all of these circumstances, Precious was subjected to emotional abuse by her mother. She yelled and cursed at Precious, calling her several names and insinuating that she was promiscuous. Her mother made her feel worthless, tearing her down for her weight and constantly reminding her of her academic …show more content…

In an even more dysfunctional twist, Precious’s mother confesses to their social worker that she has hated Precious since the first time that her boyfriend expressed a sexual interest in their daughter, rather than her. Despite all the ways that Precious was victimized, she is hesitant to come clean. She is fearful of telling her teacher or social worker the truth about her home life or her children. This can be one of the most difficult phenomenon of child psychology to understand. Having been a victim of maltreatment for as long as she would be able to remember, Precious would have a diminished view of what she should have been able to expect from her parents. Several dilemmas are also experienced in the face of abuse. While the victim of abuse may want to stop the violence, they also want to be a part of a family, even if that family mistreats them. Following this idea, it is possible for victims to experience affection and attention, even while they are being abused. For example, while her father sexually abused her, he told Precious that he loved her and even that he would marry her. This was an especially confusing message at a time when no one else was showing Precious any interest or

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