The Children of Drew Peterson: "Holding On To Hope"

The Drew Peterson trial is scheduled to begin at the end of this week. My thoughts are with the teenagers of Kathleen Savio as their world is about to be turned yet again up-side down.

The kids Thomas now 17, and Kris now 15, no doubt will be praying that the only parent they have left on the planet, their loving father is acquitted by a jury and will be able to return home to them.

I have written with disgust on the Drew Peterson case often roasting the former sergeant’s life for his actions as a serial predator.

As a former police officer’s daughter who lived in a similar war zone I can relate to the kids and the secrets they buried after Kathleen’s death. Children growing up in these war zones see their home, the “battlefield” as normal. Every parent argues and fights at one time or another but threatening to kill ones' mother is not normal.

Witnessing as these boys did a heated argument that turns physical is also part of normal. Case in point using my own childhood as an example it was not normal when my parents did not argue or fight. Our environment was so toxic when I would go to another kid’s house to play I noticed there was no tension. People were genuinely happy and no one was yelling. And it made not want to go back home when it was time. I remember following a woman and her son each day after school instead of heading home. My mother was worried and furious because she would have to come and look for me. Without realizing it my internal clock told me that I had to be someplace safe until after 4:00’clock every afternoon. In my house it meant my father was on his way to work. And it was worth whatever punishment I would receive just so I would not witness my father’s physical or verbal assault on my mother. And I lost all hope after my mother was murdered.

But the Peterson boys have been well cared for in the only way they have ever known, by their father. They see and know a man under great adversity stand tall, chest out and chin up, brush off what people are saying while drawing them closer to him, holding their hands, even from behind bars, assuring the teenagers no matter what happens everything will be alright.

Their father’s freedom is in my opinion the last hold out for hope. This means everything to a child who grows up in a violent home.

My prayers are for the boys to have hope regardless of the outcome.