Wow. Thank you for sharing and I’m so sorry you suffer with that (I assume it’s something that you still have to deal with daily to make sure you stay healthy?) Lastly, I’m glad you weren’t successful in your attempt and you are blessed to have sweet, loving children.
That is very personal to you and thank you for sharing.. I believe personal experience/perspective is critical to understanding (not right word as I know we can't but for want of better) thankfully you were able to come through that xx
I am on fence with regards to what happened here and await more facts... Xx
Thank you so much for your kind words and for letting me share.
Yes, it is something I have to deal with on a daily basis, whether it’s by taking medications, going to therapy, seeing my psychiatrist, avoiding certain smells, sounds, people, etc. It’s just like many other illnesses. And yes, I am very fortunate to have children who accept me for who I am. I am also very thankful for their friends who were there for them, ready to listen without judging. Kudos to their parents also.
I just wanted to share my experience as I believe it is possible that something similar happened to Nichol. But it’s only one of many possibilities.
Speaking of possibilities, I found an article with a list of “Motivations for Child Murder by Parents.”
It’s an interesting read, IMO:
“‘Altruistic’ Filicides
Altruistic filicides are committed ‘out of love,’ rather than anger or hate. Two subgroups are evident.
Filicide associated with suicide
These parents make a decision to take their own life first. Mothers may then feel that they cannot abandon their children and leave them ‘motherless’ in what they perceive as a cruel world.
[SBM]
About a third of mothers who kill their children take their own lives. Fathers are almost twice as likely to complete suicide after filicide (Friedman
et al., 2005). This difference may not be because mothers attempt suicide less often, but because men are much more likely to complete their suicide due to using more lethal methods.
[SBM]
Filicide to relieve or prevent suffering
These parents kill to relieve the child victim's suffering, which may be real or imagined.
[SBM]
Andrea Yates's motive for her filicides was to ensure that her children would not go to hell. Thus, her filicides would fit this category by preventing an eternity of suffering.
[SBM]
‘Acutely psychotic’ filicide
This designation applies to psychotic parents who kill with no comprehensible motive. It includes patients who kill under the influence of command hallucinations, epilepsy, or delirium.
[SBM]
‘Unwanted child’ filicide
These murders are committed because the child is no longer wanted. This is the most common motive for killing newborns. A dull 25-year-old widow was offered marriage only if she parted with her two children. After being refused placement by social agencies, she decided to dispose of them by use of a hatchet and gasoline for burning.
‘Child maltreatment’ filicide
[SBM]
The violent outbursts often occur in the overzealous application of discipline.
[SBM]
This is the only one of the five filicide categories, in which the death is not intended by the parent.
‘Spouse revenge’ filicide
[SBM]
The most common precipitants for spouse revenge filicide are spousal infidelity and child custody disputes.
[SBM]
Mr. Ronald Shanaberger's fiancee had made arrangements to go on a Caribbean cruise with her girlfriends before their engagement. When Mr. Shanaberger's father died, his fiancee declined to return early from the cruise to be with him in his time of grief. He resolved in his rage to make her suffer the way he had suffered. He waited until they married and their son, Tyler, was 7 months old. After his wife was fully bonded with Tyler, he killed their child (Associated Press, 1999). He was sentenced to 49 years in prison.“
Filicide in the United States
