Kira’s Story
The following account includes descriptions of physical abuse and may be triggering for some readers.
“Kira” alleges that her parent—a CFC leader—not only physically abused her but instructed other CFC parents on how to physically abuse their own children.
I don't have many memories when it comes to my early childhood. In my first memory, my parent was beating me. I'm not sure what the specific transgression was. Whatever it was, we had been out in public and the offenses had accumulated.
It was always little things that resulted in beatings Like not saying goodbye to someone after my parents told me to. I was painfully shy, but that was no excuse for the "sin" of noncompliance or lack of immediate obedience.
Being unable to stop crying was another big one. Crying was seen as a "temper tantrum" and a "lack of self-control." They called it “lack of self-control” when I couldn’t stop giggling with my brother in the backseat of a car. When they told me to stop and I couldn't, it was a punishable offense.
Whatever I had done, somehow it had accumulated to 10 distinct infractions all of which had occurred in a public location, where they could not administer any beatings. So the infractions had been carefully tallied up. When we returned home, my parent made me strip from the waist down. It was always 10 strikes with a wooden paddle for one infraction. My parent hit me 100 times — 10 times for each offense.
All I remember is hearing my own screaming and wondering when the torture would end.
I was four years old.
Numerous times throughout my childhood, my parents would cancel doctor's appointments because they didn't want them to see the bruises on me.
They told us that if any government worker asked us if we were spanked to say that "it almost never happened" or it was only a "few slaps." My parents told us that if we told the truth, social workers would take us away and we would never see our family again and end up in homes where we weren't loved.
As a leader at CFC, my parent taught/assisted in teaching other parents at CFC how to "discipline" their children. I remember my parent telling a church member that they needed to hit their child without any clothing as protection, hard enough to leave bruises, and that they shouldn't use their hand, but rather some kind of implement.
I knew something was wrong with how I was treated as a child, but I truly didn't realize how messed up it was until years later.
Now, I live my life dedicated to helping and protecting others.
