I grew up in a household where we children were given one very clear instruction: what happened inside our home stayed inside our home.

We were never to discuss it with others, much less write about it publicly. Even as a child, I understood there was a reason for the secrecy.

Some of what happened behind those doors was inappropriate; some of it crossed far more serious lines.

My brothers seemed to accept the silence differently. To them, families had secrets. You kept them hidden.

That was simply how the world worked. For many years, I did the same.

Writing about those years now is not an act of revenge. My parents are no longer here, and exposing their […]