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Birth - Kindergarten
"My family was the 'Brady Bunch' of the 1960s. My two brothers and I were blessed with the perfect parents. Our every whim was fulfilled with love and care." -
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First Grade
David's mother broke his arm but lied to the doctors and his father on how he broke it. Dave failed first grade and his mother beat him, banned him from television, denied him dinner and sent him to stand in the garage until bedtime. Dave wasn't allowed to join the family on vacation and he was left in the care of an aunt.
His mother beat him for trying to run away from his aunt's house then she crammed soap down his throat and forbade him to speak unless given permission to do so. -
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First Grade: Part 2
His mother told him that she received a letter from the North Pole and Santa said he was a bad boy and he wouldn't be receiving any Christmas gifts. Even on Christmas Day, he had to do chores and when his father gave him a gift his mother got upset and said that his dad was undermining her authority. Later on, his mother said she saw David playing in the grass at school. -
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First Grade: Part 2
His punishment was to strip naked and stand by the kitchen stove. She tried to force him to lie on top of the hot stove. He resisted, but she managed to hold his arm over the gas burners and burned him. He was saved when his mother heard his brother come home. -
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Second Grade
David was now receiving regular beatings and was told to lie about his bruises. He was forced to wear the same clothes every day. He still wasn't allowed to eat dinner, he was only fed the leftover cereal from his brother's breakfast. David started to steal food from school. He is now being referred to as "The Boy" and wasn't allowed to speak or look at anyone. After his family ate he was to do the dishes. -
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Second Grade
His parents started fighting over how David being treated, so when his father wasn't home he received severe beatings. David was blamed for the problems between his parents. His teacher then spoke to the principal about her observations of him. His mother was called in to answer questions. Dave received a bloody nose and got a tooth knocked out for talking to his teacher. When on a family vacation he was forced to stay with his mother in the cabin and eat his brother's feces. -
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Third Grade
David had to run to school after his chores while his brothers rode in the car. Dave was harassed by his classmates and called "David the Food Thief" and "Pelzer-Smellzer". Dave was routinely forced to stand in the basement. After being caught stealing food at school he started stealing food from a local store. His mother beat him when he got caught. He started eating food out of the trash can, so his mother put rotten meat in there and poured ammonia on top. -
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Third Grade
He started stealing frozen lunches fro school an when his mother caught him she made him throw it up and eat it. Davids mother made him sleep under the kitchen table with only newspapers as blankets. He started asking his neighbors for food ad they called his mother. He still didn't get dinner and instead he got a spoonful of ammonia. -
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Third Grade
Spoonfuls of Clorox was given to Dave on occasion. Dishwashing soap was poured down his throat which caused diarrhea. He was afraid to ask to use the bathroom, so he relieved himself in a bucket in the garage. Dave's mother prohibited him from attending school for a week and made him swallow dishwashing soap. Dave's mother accidentally stabbed him in the stomach with a carving knife. Dave's mother dressed his wound and sent him back to finish his chores. -
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Third Grade
Dave told his father he had been stabbed by his mother, but his father responded by telling him to finish his chores and not let his mother see them talking. He was not fed dinner because he didn't get finished with his chores within the required time. Later, he was given small bites of food before bed. His mother applied a cold washcloth to his head during the night. -
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Third Grade
She told him he had a fever. Dave's wound became infected three days later and he took care of it himself rather than tell his mother. Dave's mother starved him for ten days during one period when the father was away. He only had water that he stole from the corners of ice trays. Dave's mother sent him to clean the bathroom and placed a bucket of ammonia and Clorox in the room and shut the door. Dave was sent out to mow lawns and bring his mother the money. -
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Third Grade
One family hired him and one family just gave him lunch. His mother was convinced that he had sneaked into the neighbor's house and prepared his own lunch. She beat him and tried to return the lunch. Dave's mother made him lie naked in a tub of cold water and ordered him to place his head under water. His brothers observed this and said nothing. Dave's mother made him put on his clothes without drying off and ordered him to sit in the shade in the backyard. -
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Fourth Grade
Dave was routinely asked to regurgitate the contents of his stomach for his mother's inspection. Dave's mother alternated between the gas treatment, water treatment, or sending Dave out to mow lawns. Dave was always beaten. At home, his mother alternated between whipping him with a dog's chain or beating him on the back of his legs with a broom handle. At school, he was beaten up by bullies. -
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Fourth Grade
During the water treatment, Dave was ordered out of the tub and made to dress without drying off and sent to sleep in his father's bed. His mother slept with his brothers. Dave was given roller skates for Christmas and made to roller skate in the cold weather for hours. A social worker visited the home and asked Dave questions. Dave didn't say the right things to the social worker and was beaten after she left and banished to the garage. -
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Fifth Grade
He still hasn't been getting fed so he ate leftover pancakes out of their dog's dish. Now his brothers hit him. Dave's classmates bullied and tormented him. One student told him she knew all about him and killing himself was the only way out. Dave's suggestion for the school newspaper was accepted and a note was sent home by his teacher, Mr. Ziegler, to his mother. His mother berated him and tore up the note. She stated that he couldn't impress her. He was a nobody. -
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Fifth Grade
He was an "It." She also said that she wished he was dead. Dave became depressed and wanted to die. He began to irritate his mother on purpose so that she would kill him. He hopes she kills him soon. On one occasion, Dave was allowed to accompany the family to a grocery store. He purposely misbehaved. When they left, his mother gave him a sound thrashing before returning to the car. She then ordered him to lie down on the floor of the back seat. -
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Fifth Grade
His brothers were directed to take turns stomping on him with their feet. His parents finally split up and his mother decided to pack his things and deliver them to him. They went to McDonald's but David was to stay in the car. When they returned his mother turned to him and said "You are all mine now. Too bad your father is not here to protect you." -
The Rescue
The principal, school nurse, teachers and the police intervened and got him removed from his abusive home.