Hi, Mary-Lou. Thanks for your Jthread. Reading about the children broke my heart.
I still remember the first time my heart broke: I was five, and we drove past a wino derelict whom my parents discussed. That fracture will never heal, until heaven.
I am sorry you were exposed to that at such an early age. I had a similar experience when I saw a tatoo on a man’s arm and asked him about it. I was about 6.
Children are so precious. I hate to see their hearts broken.