CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 36

Mallory insisted it was her mother’s fault for
getting raped, since, according to her uncle,
her mother would often loiter on the streets
after school.
She said her mother had also grown up in
Homestead Home for Girls.
When CARIMAC Times spoke with child
psychologist Dr. Gemma Gibbon, she explained
that Mallory is struggling with how to feel toward
her parents, as she only thinks of their role as
her parents, and not the actions they have done.
Like many abused children, she is conflicted
with the desire to love her parents the way they
think parents deserve to be loved.

“She’s clinging to the hope that one day everything
and all the family will be as she dreams about
them, but the reality of her situation is that her
mom has caused her distress or enough problems
that she’s not with her,” Dr. Gibbon said.
“It’s inherent in us to want the best in our parents,
but the reality is we sometimes have different
opinions at different times,” she continued.
Even outside of her strained relationship with
her parents, Mallory has suffered instability
for years. For her, home was never truly a
permanent place. In her earlier years she had
lived at Strathmore, but returned to her mother,
then was sent to Homestead, only to return to
Strathmore once again.

32
Photo by Varun Baker