in private, and without anyone's knowing ...

my comment in reply to Cat below. Thanx, Chuck

you so noticed (and made mention of) his singling out of the girl of the three children to slap. I think (in fact, I'm pretty sure of it) the implication(s) of your observation holds merit. A sad aspect of this is that he caused my sis a sharp pain that sat astride the pain she already (had) experienced, most certainly of long duration, that brought her to the point of making such a request. And mind you, she did not know of the identical request made by me and later by my brother, both of us having done so before she did. I was years into adulthood before verbal childhood notes were compared to reveal to the three of us siblings that each had asked of him the same. I suspect, in addition, that he slapped my sister at least in part because he fought his own temptation to acquiesce to the (now third time) request---and objected to his children supporting that aspect of himself (and of course, being a minister, perhaps his child became a stand-in for Satan, and so he slapped Satan). And surely three of his four living children suggesting such a thing to him ... well, perhaps---just perhaps---their requests held merit. Probably in line with many if not most other parents of the time, my father found it much easier to resent his children than to learn about them ... and that especially without censoring. And I acknowledge that we all censor, but here I'm talking about a particularly heavy censor's stamp as applied by him to/against us. Thanx, Chuck PS: Let me add, the request by each of us was a serious one that surfaced for each of us in turn after years of suffering ... and was not made amidst the impulsive heat of an anger provoked by some small matter. I hope my comment here casts up a greater clarity, a one that prompts perhaps a bit more fibrous chewing. My thanx to all.

by me, Richard, you got it just fine. And thanx. Chuck PS: See my comment above in further reply to Cat.

I do appreciate your comment. Yours, Chuck

having prior knowledge of this matter are my wife and ... who knows. I've kept it much to myself. And now it's addressed in plain view---and in poetic form, by gosh!---for others to see. It can be a pain to keep stale skeletons in the back of the closet ... and a relief to take out and dust one or two off every so often. My thanx, Chuck