Tom North’s “Eight Holiday Tips from a Domestic Violence Survivor”, Featured on NOMORE.org
December 20, 2014
Before there was The Brady Bunch or 19 Kids and Counting, there was Yours, Mine, and Ours. The 1968 movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda portrayed a real-life, blended family with 20 children. (It was remade in 2005 with Dennis Quaid.)
Tom North was the 11th child. Although his life seemed idyllic on screen, it was filled with violence and abuse by his stepfather, Frank Beardsley, played by Fonda. Tom wrote about this double life in his memoir, True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours.”
The holidays can be a particularly stressful time for adult DV survivors, especially those with children. Everything’s supposed to be happy and rosy, with plenty of family and togetherness — but what if your family has caused you pain? Here’s Tom’s story and his holiday tips for getting through the season.