Psychology year 3, log 2
Who: Blacky, students, lurkers
What: PSYCH CLASS. At 6pm Mondays in [Room #] okay have fun
WARNINGS: Besides extreme angst? Blacky and Gio have a bloody battle after class it's totally awesome
The trip to the hot springs had been relaxing, and watching Uxie get drunk was entertaining, but it was all over too quickly; upon coming back to the school, Blacky was back to being just as cold, professional, and antisocial as ever since her return from Kanto. The few times she left her room had usually been to peek in on other classes, to eat, or to teach like she was now.
"Good evening, class," she began at 6:01 (anyone arriving after that would be given a dirty look since they'd be too late for her liking). "As it was one of the topics I was requested to cover at the beginning of the semester, tonight we'll be taking a look at parental abandonment and its effects.
"I understand many of the students and teachers alike here have more than a few issues when it comes to family, so if you feel this may be a particularly sensitive topic, it may be wise to leave now."
She waited half a minute for anyone to do so before continuing.
"Abandonment can happen one or both of two ways: physically, with the parent moving far away from the child and never seeing them, or emotional, with the parent being cold and distant no matter how often they are in the same room with the child. It could mean anything from a parent living on the other end of town to leaving the country; from never giving their child a hug to not saying so much as a word to them.
"No matter what the parent's reasons may be for this abandonment, the child is at an age that no amount of explanation could possibly make them understand, and often this leads to feelings of confusion, resentment and poor self-esteem. They may feel it's their fault, that the parent who left them no longer wants them because they were too much of a burden or weren't able to make them proud.
It can also lead to the child either trying to eradicate every trace of the parent's existence from their life - even striving so far as to become the exact opposite of the person they perceived their parent to be. Sometimes it's quite the opposite, and children will delude themselves with fantasies in which that parent is absolutely perfect and comes back for them and they live happily ever after.
"Of course, any abandonment can lead to serious trust issues - if one can't trust a parent to stick around, it's hard to be able to put trust into anyone else - and so they keep their emotions bottled up inside, not wanting to express vulnerability to anyone."
She paused and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Even though she thought she was prepared to give this lecture, there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. What if her own child grew up to resent her?
"...If anyone is comfortable with it, we may have a group discussion on any experiences with abandonment of this nature. Perhaps we can help each other grow and move on, hm? Of course, this is not necessary by any means. Completely voluntary."
What: PSYCH CLASS. At 6pm Mondays in [Room #] okay have fun
WARNINGS: Besides extreme angst? Blacky and Gio have a bloody battle after class it's totally awesome
The trip to the hot springs had been relaxing, and watching Uxie get drunk was entertaining, but it was all over too quickly; upon coming back to the school, Blacky was back to being just as cold, professional, and antisocial as ever since her return from Kanto. The few times she left her room had usually been to peek in on other classes, to eat, or to teach like she was now.
"Good evening, class," she began at 6:01 (anyone arriving after that would be given a dirty look since they'd be too late for her liking). "As it was one of the topics I was requested to cover at the beginning of the semester, tonight we'll be taking a look at parental abandonment and its effects.
"I understand many of the students and teachers alike here have more than a few issues when it comes to family, so if you feel this may be a particularly sensitive topic, it may be wise to leave now."
She waited half a minute for anyone to do so before continuing.
"Abandonment can happen one or both of two ways: physically, with the parent moving far away from the child and never seeing them, or emotional, with the parent being cold and distant no matter how often they are in the same room with the child. It could mean anything from a parent living on the other end of town to leaving the country; from never giving their child a hug to not saying so much as a word to them.
"No matter what the parent's reasons may be for this abandonment, the child is at an age that no amount of explanation could possibly make them understand, and often this leads to feelings of confusion, resentment and poor self-esteem. They may feel it's their fault, that the parent who left them no longer wants them because they were too much of a burden or weren't able to make them proud.
It can also lead to the child either trying to eradicate every trace of the parent's existence from their life - even striving so far as to become the exact opposite of the person they perceived their parent to be. Sometimes it's quite the opposite, and children will delude themselves with fantasies in which that parent is absolutely perfect and comes back for them and they live happily ever after.
"Of course, any abandonment can lead to serious trust issues - if one can't trust a parent to stick around, it's hard to be able to put trust into anyone else - and so they keep their emotions bottled up inside, not wanting to express vulnerability to anyone."
She paused and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Even though she thought she was prepared to give this lecture, there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. What if her own child grew up to resent her?
"...If anyone is comfortable with it, we may have a group discussion on any experiences with abandonment of this nature. Perhaps we can help each other grow and move on, hm? Of course, this is not necessary by any means. Completely voluntary."