Emotional Abuse

When Anna Roosevelt had a group of friends over and she referred to her young daughter, Eleanor, as "Granny", the sting of that characterization and humiliation lingered for many years. Her mother did not understand why a young child would not be happy and playful. But as Eleanor commented herself, years later, "She often called me that for I was a solemn child, without beauty and painfully shy" (p. 1). Since Eleanor's mother was concerned with beauty and appearance, her narrow vision of the world did not encompasses anything or anyone that she considered unattractive or too serious. Eleanor always felt a distance from her mother. She commented that during "Mother's Hours", she felt the room was divided, with her on one side by herself and her mother and her brothers on the other side. Anna would make comments inferring that if Eleanor couldn't have beauty, she would...