There may come a time when you feel that you or your children are in danger. If your husband is becoming increasingly threatening either in word or action, if you sense that he’s about to cross the line into any sort of abuse and he is not willing to talk with you about your concerns, it’s time to execute your emergency escape plan.

According to The Domestic Violence Sourcebook by Dr. Dawn Bradley Berry:

Adolescents from abusive homes run a much higher risk of substance abuse, suicide, or running away. The trauma continues through adulthood. Many men in prison – some estimates place the figure as high as 90 percent – were abused or witnessed abuse in the home while growing up. Even children who break the pattern and don’t grow up to be violent themselves suffer terribly. According to a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study, teenagers exposed to violence, especially in the home, are more likely than others to become depressed or hopeless.