what's so chilling, to me, in all the evangelical parenting manuals i read and the testimony i received from survivors, is the idea in evangelical circles that striking your child in a cool and ritualistic manner is somehow better than doing so in anger. it isn't. it really isn't
In my dobson household anger was still very much a part of it. Dad could be teeth grinding red in the face furious but as long as no swearing was involved it was mostly fine. Plus the true anger could come out when we were home alone. If I told mom he attacked me, "he wouldn't do that." Freaks.
And weirdly we were NEVER allowed to be angry. We were always cajoled into doing something fun or acting fine. Ridiculous.
