Chapter 7 - Emma says Aunt Vanessa has rules
The child advocacy interview happened five days later.
I was not in the room.
That was intentional.
A trained forensic interviewer spoke with Emma using age-appropriate open questions.
No:
Did Aunt Vanessa hit you before?
Instead:
“Tell me about Aunt Vanessa.”
Emma said:
“She makes eggs.”
Good start.
“She has Lily.”
Then:
“She gets mad at my loud.”
“What is your loud?”
“When I cry.”
“Tell me what happens when you cry.”
“Grandma says stop.”
“What does Aunt Vanessa do?”
“She says baby.”
That hurt.
Then:
“Does Aunt Vanessa have rules?”
Emma nodded.
“What rules?”
“Lily first.”
“What does Lily first mean?”
“She gets pink cup.”
“Anything else?”
“Chair.”
There.
“Whose rule is chair?”
“Vanessa.”
“Does Lily make the rule?”
“No.”
“Grandma?”
“Grandma says listen.”
The interviewer asked about physical contact before breakfast.
Emma described one incident where Vanessa:
“squeezed my arm.”
When?
“After bunny.”
What did bunny mean?
A stuffed rabbit Emma had taken from Lily’s room.
Did it leave a mark?
Emma did not know.
Did she tell me?
“No.”
Why?
“Grandma said don’t make Mommy mad.”
There.
Not:
Keep a secret because we are hurting you.
Still terrible.
May you like
My mother had been coaching Emma to protect adult peace.
That became central.
