Oh, my poor neglected Live Journal...
It's been too long. But at least here I can post something more than a few lines long and I know that only a few trusted people will actually read it, rather than the public life that Facebook has become.
Ok, so here's my moral question, and it's a heavy one:
I have what we'll call an "ex-brother." Actually, let's call him Shit-head. He's my biological sibling with whom I grew up. But he lost the privilege of being called my brother when he molested me. I have no ties to him, but he is in fairly close contact with my parents. (My mom is aware of the situation and respects my wishes to stay away from him, bless her heart.)
So he has a daughter who lives with his ex-girlfriend, the girl's mother. I've never met the woman. But the little girl is seriously f-ed up. She has mental imbalances that she inherited from her mother, some autism and ADHD. Don't get me wrong; she's a sweet kid. But she was dealt a cruel hand. I see her sometimes when she stays with my mom. The girl has been hospitalized for mental breakdowns and she's only 8!
Knowing how abuse runs in vicious circles I can't help but worry that somebody may have abused this little girl (either Shit-head, or her new stepdad) which aggravated her already fragile stability. But I don't talk to either of the girl's parents. I feel I could probably get to know the girl's mom, now that she has split up from Shit-head. The girl is getting professional help and even being put in a residential school, so I'd like to think that someone would pick up on the signs.
Do I have a duty to tell someone about this possibility? Or does that overstep my bounds? I really wouldn't want to stir up a can of worms, and I don't ever want to meet Shit-head face to face again. And I really don't like to look at this kid because she looks like him. But I can't help feel some sympathy for her.
Ok, so here's my moral question, and it's a heavy one:
I have what we'll call an "ex-brother." Actually, let's call him Shit-head. He's my biological sibling with whom I grew up. But he lost the privilege of being called my brother when he molested me. I have no ties to him, but he is in fairly close contact with my parents. (My mom is aware of the situation and respects my wishes to stay away from him, bless her heart.)
So he has a daughter who lives with his ex-girlfriend, the girl's mother. I've never met the woman. But the little girl is seriously f-ed up. She has mental imbalances that she inherited from her mother, some autism and ADHD. Don't get me wrong; she's a sweet kid. But she was dealt a cruel hand. I see her sometimes when she stays with my mom. The girl has been hospitalized for mental breakdowns and she's only 8!
Knowing how abuse runs in vicious circles I can't help but worry that somebody may have abused this little girl (either Shit-head, or her new stepdad) which aggravated her already fragile stability. But I don't talk to either of the girl's parents. I feel I could probably get to know the girl's mom, now that she has split up from Shit-head. The girl is getting professional help and even being put in a residential school, so I'd like to think that someone would pick up on the signs.
Do I have a duty to tell someone about this possibility? Or does that overstep my bounds? I really wouldn't want to stir up a can of worms, and I don't ever want to meet Shit-head face to face again. And I really don't like to look at this kid because she looks like him. But I can't help feel some sympathy for her.