Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2025

Tonight's special guest is Melissa Hudson from Grapevine, Arkansas, a child abuse survivor who recently published a book, 'The Drums Beating House,' about her experience as a survivor of child abuse. Melissa reports that a lot was expected of her as a first-born child. "More is expected of [them], she says. "They are pushed further to achieve and have that never-ending sense that 'I'm just not doing good enough, I have to do better' instilled within their personalities." My parents were in no position to care for an infant, and when they tried, it was with little effort on their part. I'm not certain how I survived." There was a lot of violence. "I had black eyes, bruises on my body, and I had to lie to authority figures, the police, DHS and Child Services." She had a flashback while giving Connor, her oldest son, a bath. "When I did something bad, my parents would leave me there, in the bathtub, so I could clean up and not be a 'filthy bastard' .." , Melissa writes. "Tears started streaming down my cheeks and I had no idea why." She did some Google searching on her own symptoms and figured it out. "It was then that I realized that I was actually an adult survivor of child abuse." We're glad she did. "My parents were monsters," explains Melissa. "My mother is currently in prison because she attempted to pay someone to kill my father and his wife." She goes on, "The purpose of this book is to provide an account—as accurately as I can—of events that happened through several generations of my relatives."