I think it is quite common...It happened to me, I told my mum, she asked my dad and my mum believed him.

My mum had a lot invested in my dad, she already had four youngish children, not much education and little hope of securing a job if she chose to believe me and separate from my dad. Her comfort zone would have been stretched to breaking point so she took the easy option.

I hinted about it and my mom went ballistic, screamed at me.
Then told my dad what I said.
Suffice it to say I paid.

I don't know if I told my mum at the time. I don't think I did, but equally I'm pretty sure my mother wouldn't have asked if she had noticed. My family have a culture of not asking questions in case you don't like the answer.

I did tell my mum a few years after my father died, since when my mother has absolutely refused to support me. If she doesn't support me now with him out of the way, I don't think she'd have been there for me when he was still around.

I know my mother was brought up put up with shit and to be powerless in front of a man's authority. If society then had been what it is now, perhaps she'd have had the strength to see what was happening and do something about it. Perhaps.

Even with my Father convicted and even after he admitted what he did, I am still labelled a liar and a fantasist by the few people I looked to for support. I tried to speak out before about both my father and stepfather to be screamed at, shunned and for them to be stuck up for. You are definitely not alone in this honey. It doesn't make it any easier I know but you especially aren't alone here. Its a pretty standard response from enablers of abuse. Your mother sounds a lot like mine Carolin..! Lets just say if they are horrified and distraught at what you tell them... They already knew or had suspicions. I do wonder how much abuser protection is actually the enabler protecting themselves.

Aren't horrified* sorry. Stupid sausage fingers!

Told my mother, she asked my father and believed his denial. She then said it must have been someone else or the child dreamed it.

It is still very hard to understand how she could react that way, but sadly it is common.

When I told family, they were supportive initially. I think a lot of things now made sense to them. Then, they spoke with the abuser and things turned around, FAST. Suddenly he was the victim and I was the abuser.

It was heartbreaking for me. I'd even go as far as saying it nearly killed me to lose them. I came from a large family and it was as if they all were yanked away from me in an instant, only I had no way to publicly grieve.

It's been a few years and I no longer get back pain, wry necks, or feel crazy. I hope this continues!

I told my Mother about four years after I left home. She said "I don't know why your telling me this now."

She was sexually abused by her Father. She lived all her life living close to him. She is even buried next to him.

My mom laid all the blame on me for "letting" my brother molest me. When I started therapy and tried to talk to her she was all about hushing me up and claiming it happened to her and lots of us (whoever they were). I should have told her it was her fault for letting it happen. Bitch.

I can see I am not alone in this. Looking back, I can see it was my parents job to protect me and they were just not there for my sister and I.

Many times the WORLD protects abusers and that includes family.

I had the same thing. My mom found me self-harming at age 13-14 and took me to counseling in the early 80s. They asked if I was ever sexually abused as I had no exact memory, but my mother told my father and my father said they were putting shit in my head and put a stop to counseling. My mom never wanted to talk about it. I was having black outs and the counselor took me to get on birth control with my mom's permission. My mom dumped me on the counselor. Speed ahead 25 years later getting flash backs and try talking to my mom about it and she hushed me yet again and said he is your father BS. Even in my early 20s when I OD'd and was in intensive care she never came to the hospital. She was unable to deal with anything. My siblings just call me nuts. I ran into my sister at the movies a few weeks ago after not seeing her for 3 years because she does not believe me and I walked up to her after the movie and she said boy there are a lot of nuts in this town. Shunned for sure.