Annie G Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Unable to change the title so I’ll add the warning here: the blog has upsetting information about abuse. https://www.jessicawillisfisher.com/ I’ve been thinking about how they all had smiling faces and were such a happy family...but it was all for show. And then I wonder if any of my friends or family members are hiding such an awful secret for fear that they will not be believed, or out of shame. Gosh I hope not, but am I just being a Pollyanna? Mean people suck and I hope Toby is having a difficult time dealing with his new life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 never heard of him or the Willis family, but I'm glad she got out and can now help others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 I'd never heard of him, or them, before all this came out on the news... but it's all just awful. And I agree. We can't know what is really happening in people's lives. Perhaps there were early clues to friends a family that we'll not know about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Heads up... Jessica's story might be really triggering for anyone who has gone through abuse and escaped in fear for your life. Harrowing and gut-wrenching. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Wow. I'd never heard of them but if I had, I would have thought they were a nice wholesome family. (Just spent a bunch of time reading and watching a couple videos from before all this came out.) I hesitate to look up to anyone these days. So many horrible secrets. :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 37 minutes ago, unsinkable said: Heads up... Jessica's story might be really triggering for anyone who has gone through abuse and escaped in fear for your life. Harrowing and gut-wrenching. I’m sorry for not marking the title with a trigger warning. Thanks for bringing that to my attention- going to fix that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 39 minutes ago, Annie G said: I’m sorry for not marking the title with a trigger warning. Thanks for bringing that to my attention- going to fix that. No need to apologize but thank you for being so sweet to do so and for adding the warning to your post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 So sad! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 It seems to me like I have heard of them - wasn't there an article here not too long ago about suspected abuse or something? Maybe it was somewhere else. I am glad she's telling her story. It is hard for me to fathom a 23 year old (or her mother) fully understanding what is going on and happening and still staying. But I think that speaks to my inability to understand how pervasive that dependent mindset is? It strikes me as remarkable how resilient she is considering how dependent her father tried to make her. I think she needs to keep sharing her story so people can wrap their heads around why people stay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fralala Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 I read this expecting to become overwhelmed by sadness, but her account made me hopeful. What a beautiful, perceptive, wise person has emerged from such incredible ugly, hurtful experiences. One line from her account struck me: "He always promoted his philosophy, showcasing the family as the living proof of the validity of his methods and beliefs." A reminder to me not to trust the perceptions and judgments I might experience related to other parents and their children. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 Men who abuse their own children are like gerbils who eat their own young. I imagine their Picture of Dorian Grey portraits as having blood all over their mouths from devouring their children. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 1 hour ago, BlsdMama said: It seems to me like I have heard of them - wasn't there an article here not too long ago about suspected abuse or something? Maybe it was somewhere else. I am glad she's telling her story. It is hard for me to fathom a 23 year old (or her mother) fully understanding what is going on and happening and still staying. But I think that speaks to my inability to understand how pervasive that dependent mindset is? It strikes me as remarkable how resilient she is considering how dependent her father tried to make her. I think she needs to keep sharing her story so people can wrap their heads around why people stay. I saw an interview with several of her siblings and each of the other girls said they thought they were the only one being abused. They didn’t give any indication their mom or anyone else knew anything until the very end. And they were very worried about what would happen to their family if they told. After hearing that I found it interesting how several times she was careful in her account to make it clear that this was her interpretation of events. From what I’ve read, they had a very traditional, religious, patriarchal family structure where the dad controlled almost everything, from the clothes they wore to the activities at which they were driven to excel. And even though they all seem very bright and multi-talented and their dad was college educated, none of the kids had any education beyond homeschooling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 18, 2018 Author Share Posted April 18, 2018 Jessica’s statements and the interviews her siblings did demonstrated just how strong and resolved these women are. They are going to thrive and move forward and that’s so awesome. Their father tried hard to control them and now he can’t. Good for them for being so strong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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