Maddy was six years old when her father went to prison - but no one told her why. Growing up, everything felt confusing, unstable, and unspoken. The truth was always there… just never explained. In this episode, she shares what it was like growing up in a home where abuse was ignored, secrets were kept, and she was left to figure it out on her own.

On This Episode We Cover: 

→ 00:00:00 – What makes someone finally decide to share their story?

→ 00:00:35 – What happens when a parent goes to prison during childhood?

→ 00:01:20 – How do parents’ backgrounds shape a child’s life?

→ 00:03:00 – What does a toxic relationship between parents look like?

→ 00:04:45 – What does early childhood feel like before everything changes?

→ 00:06:30 – When do childhood experiences first start to feel wrong?

→ 00:07:55 – What leads to a parent receiving a long prison sentence?

→ 00:09:10 – What happens when a parent suddenly disappears from a child’s life?

→ 00:10:40 – What is it like growing up without stability?

→ 00:12:45 – Why do some children feel like outsiders in their own family?

→ 00:15:10 – How can a sibling become controlling or abusive?

→ 00:19:30 – What happens when abuse becomes normalized at home?

→ 00:22:50 – When does a difficult situation start to escalate?

→ 00:25:10 – What does it look like when boundaries are completely crossed?

→ 00:27:15 – How does abuse begin and go unnoticed?

→ 00:30:10 – How do children process traumatic experiences at a young age?

→ 00:31:30 – What happens when no one steps in to help?

→ 00:33:10 – Why do families suddenly relocate or start over?

→ 00:35:45 – How do children discover difficult family truths on their own?

→ 00:38:10 – What changes after moving to a new environment?

→ 00:40:50 – How do sibling relationships shift over time?

→ 00:42:30 – What happens when a troubled family member returns home?

→ 00:44:30 – How can harmful patterns continue in new environments?

→ 00:46:45 – What does a breaking point within a family look like?

→ 00:48:20 – Why are some children sent away from home?

→ 00:50:20 – What does a safe and stable home feel like after chaos?

→ 00:52:30 – What happens when someone returns to an unstable environment?

→ 00:54:30 – How can a parent’s new relationship impact the family dynamic?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices