Have You Seen This? Photographer As Witness - A Portrait of Domestic Violence

[Sheldon Cooper]

24. Young, poor, estranged from her husband who is in the military in Alaska.

Lonely, wanting some companionship and help with money and child-rearing. Turns to a low-life deadbeat who promises her the moon. She thinks her ship has come in, even though it's obvious that he can't stand her son. She overlooks that because he's got so many other good points. And then he starts whining about her kids coming before him, and she feels torn, and on and on, until he lashes out and hits her in front of the kids. The only thing that surprises me about this is that she got out so quickly and decisively. Most women cycle in and out of this for years, inflcting untold damage on themselves and especially on their innocent kids. This woman took her kids to Alaska to reunite with her husband. I hope it works out for that family.

It's a lesson about watching who you let into your life, especially if you have kids. A lot of stepparents are great and do a fabulous job of raising someone else's kids. But lots of them are not, and it's scary. There are statistics about children who are killed by their stepparents, and it's quite chilling.