Kids often imitate play of what they've witnessed in person themselves, or what they've heard from the adults in their lives. It's something I learned as a Combat Sailor when my boys were young. At the time I just thought it was harmless play. "Oh, look at my boys! Isn't that cute? They want to follow in Dad's footsteps."

Then, yrs later after we had my daughter and their mother had left us, she started exhibiting some unusual play behaviors. I would hear her playing with her dolls, reenacting some of the things "Mom" would say or do to her and her brothers while I was gone at work. Only, at the time I didn't know that's what she was doing. It was a couple years after that that my older boys finally came clean with me about the crazy and abusive things their mother has done while I was away from the house. I had to ask my PTSD therapist what it all meant. She went on to explain that kids who suffer trauma will often show signs of the abuse in their play. (It's why when kids are legitimately removed from an abusive situation, th therapists will just let them play for the first few sessions and sit back and observe what the child does. A child is usually so innocent they don't think about the repercussions of reenacting the abuse in their play. They will play in this manner as a way to try to understand what has happened to them.)

I asked my boys why they never said anything to me about it when it was happening, and they said, "No offense Dad, but you wouldn't have believed us at the time. You always seemed to take Mom's side and would punish us further for 'lying' to you." So I asked them to observe their sister's play time behavior and tell me what they thought.

They were horrified that she was reenacting what had happened to all of them at their mother's hands thru her play behavior. ALL 4 of my sons told me the exact same thing: that she was reenacting what she had witnessed and experienced with "Mom." It took a couple more years for us all to heal from that trauma. Now, my daughter is a healthy 13 yr old andy boys are all grown adults and much wiser and han I was at their ages. But they're all also much more in tune with their emotions than I was in my 20's, too. And much wiser and awakened to the evils of this mad, mad world. It's one of the few regrets I will take to me grave. I just hope and pray that God will forgive me (and their mother) for failing them as horribly as we did.

This is all a long winded narrative to hopefully explain that a young child NEVER "plays" like this on their own. It's ALWAYS because of some sort of witnessed act they themselves have been a part of. Which horrifies me in this context: A toddler should NEVER even know about waterboarding...PERIOD. I shudder to think that this little girl has been exposed to this type of rendition. I've witnessed waterboarding myself when I was in the Navy, and I can honestly say that it's disturbing to watch. To think that this girl has been exposed to it will probably keep me awake tonight.

And it should alarm every one of you here that this little one is waterboarding her teddy bear, most likely in an attempt to understand what she's witnessed or experienced herself. The fact that her face is hidden from view tells me she's a victim and her parents are parading this around like some sort of victory lap.

Just something to consider as you go about your day. This pic isn't as harmless as most of you here think it is.

P.S.: I'm fairly certain thisbpic is comms of some sort, too. I just don't know what, exactly, but the citrus in the background is screaming loud to me. Any help in analyzing this further would be a great help and may just explain more about the "story" in this photo. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words...

Kids often imitate play of what they've witnessed in person themselves, or what they've heard from the adults in their lives. It's something I learned as a Combat Sailor when my boys were young. At the time I just thought it was harmless play. "Oh, look at my boys! Isn't that cute? They want to follow in Dad's footsteps."

Then, yrs later after we had my daughter and their mother had left us, she started exhibiting some unusual play behaviors. I would hear her playing with her dolls, reenacting some of the things "Mom" would say or do to her and her brothers while I was gone at work. Only, at the time I didn't know that's what she was doing. It was a couple years after that that my older boys finally came clean with me about the crazy and abusive things their mother has done while I was away from the house. I had to ask my PTSD therapist what it all meant. She went on to explain that kids who suffer trauma will often show signs of the abuse in their play. (It's why when kids are legitimately removed from an abusive situation, th therapists will just let them play for the first few sessions and sit back and observe what the child does. A child is usually so innocent they don't think about the repercussions of reenacting the abuse in their play. They will play in this manner as a way to try to understand what has happened to them.)

I asked my boys why they never said anything to me about it when it was happening, and they said, "No offense Dad, but you wouldn't have believed us at the time. You always seemed to take Mom's side and would punish us further for 'lying' to you." So I asked them to observe their sister's play time behavior and tell me what they thought.

They were horrified that she was reenacting what had happened to all of them at their mother's hands thru her play behavior. ALL 4 of my sons told me the exact same thing: that she was reenacting what she had witnessed and experienced with "Mom." It took a couple more years for us all to heal from that trauma. Now, my daughter is a healthy 13 yr old andy boys are all grown adults and much wiser and han I was at their ages. But they're all also much more in tune with their emotions than I was in my 20's, too. And much wiser and awakened to the evils of this mad, mad world. It's one of the few regrets I will take to me grave. I just hope and pray that God will forgive me (and their mother) for failing them as horribly as we did.

This is all a long winded narrative to hopefully explain that a young child NEVER "plays" like this on their own. It's ALWAYS because of some sort of witnessed act they themselves have been a part of. Which horrifies me in this context: A toddler should NEVER even know about waterboarding...PERIOD. I shudder to think that this little girl has been exposed to this type of rendition. I've witnessed waterboarding myself when I was in the Navy, and I can honestly say that it's disturbing to watch. To think that this girl has been exposed to it will probably keep me awake tonight.

And it should alarm every one of you here that this little one is waterboarding her teddy bear, most likely in an attempt to understand what she's witnessed or experienced herself. The fact that her face is hidden from view tells me she's a victim and her parents are parading this around like some sort of victory lap.

Just something to consider as you go about your day. This pic isn't as harmless as most of you here think it is.

Kids often imitate play of what they've witnessed in person themselves, or what they've heard from the adults in their lives. It's something I learned as a Combat Sailor when my boys were young. At the time I just thought it was harmless play. "Oh, look at my boys! Isn't that what cute? They want to follow in Dad's footsteps."

Then, yrs later after we had my daughter and their mother had left us, she started exhibiting some unusual play behaviors. I would hear her playing with her dolls, reenacting some of the things "Mom" would say or do to her and her brothers while I was gone at work. Only, at the time I didn't know that what she was doing. It was a couple years after that that my older boys finally came clean with me about the crazy and abusive things their mother has done while I was away from the house.

I asked them why they never said anything to me about it when it was happening, and they said, "no offense Dad, but you wouldn't have believed us. You always seemed to take Mom's side and would punish us further for 'lying' to you." So I asked them to observe their sister's play time behavior and tell me what they thought.

They were horrified that she was reenacting what had happened to all of them at their mother's hands. ALL 4 of my sons told me the exact same thing: that she was reenacting what she had witnessed and experienced with "Mom." It took a couple more years for us all to heal from that trauma.

This is all a long winded narrative to hopefully explain that a you g child NEVER "plays" like this on their own. It's ALWAYS b cause of some sort of witnessed act they thems over have been a part of. Which horrifies me in this context. A toddler should NEVER even know about waterboarding...PERIOD. I shudder to think that I his little girl has been exposed to this type of rendition. I've witnessed waterboarding myself when I was in the Navy, and I can honestly say that it's disturbing to watch. To think that this girl has been exposed to it will probably keep me awake tonight.

And it should alarm every one of you here that this little one is waterboarding her teddy bear, most likely in an attempt to understand what she's witnessed or experienced herself. The fact that her face is hidden from view tells me she's a victim and her parents are parading this around like some sort of victory lap.