A boy who survives an abusive mother.
Immediately after throwing the entire box of wooden matchsticks in the small boy’s face
She began screaming at him “you’re stupid! You’re stupid, you’ll never amount to anything!” Now the young mother was finished with her horrified four year old son as she stood up to walk out of the room and leave him trembling and sobbing uncontrollably on their living room carpeted floor. He could hear her stomping down the long hallway and then the hard slam of her bedroom door which made him wince in fear.
So, he was stupid and wouldn’t amount to anything in life ever…
It had all started when Abby had decided to teach Brian basic arithmetic.
Her grandfather had taught it to her, along with reading and spelling when she was the same age and it had a tremendous impact on her childhood. She’d graduated from high school when she was 16 and now wanted to do the same for her son.
Brian did well with the addition but when Abby began doing subtraction he became completely lost. She tried being patient and had even slowed down in her questions.
“Okay Brian, there are two match sticks there…now if I take one away what will that leave you with?”
The boy didn’t answer right away as he concentrated on the object on the floor in front of him. His forehead furrowed deeply and his young blue eyes squinted hard as he struggled for the correct answer but it was no use…the answer just wouldn’t come to him.
Finally he gave up and sighed heavily before answering his mother.
“I don’t know, mommy…” he said sadly.
“What do you mean you don’t know? Brian, if you had two and I take one away…what does that leave you with? It’s not that hard of a question!” Abby was beginning to lose her patience.
But Brian looked up at her with a frustrated and saddened look on his innocent little face.
He was also becoming nervous because he knew his mother had a very bad temper and a short fuse to ignite it with. He didn’t want to set it off today but he had no idea what the correct answer was.
“Let’s try it again, Brian…it’s okay, you’ll get it!” Abby said with a warm smile.
Now the boy relaxed visibly.
Thanks Icy… 
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