Innocent Victims of Abuse

Oprah says she's never heard children who've witnessed domestic abuse discuss the pain they've endured…until now. During one-on-one interviews, Oprah sits down with Susan's sons to talk about life inside a violent household. Susan's youngest son, who is now 12 years old, has never spoken publicly about this before.

Oprah: Tell me, how old were you when you first noticed how your mother was being treated by your father?

Young Son: I really can't say that I actually noticed it. I mean this was like a daily thing that happened in the house. It was just part of my life.

Oprah: So you didn't even think it was abuse?

Young Son: No, I just thought this was regular life…this is how it is.

Watch Oprah's interview with Susan's youngest son.

The 12-year-old says his mother's beatings began when he was about 6 years old. Most of the incidents began with Ulner calling all the children into a room for a "family meeting."

"My dad would talk about how bad of a mother she was," he says. "On one occasion, before we went to school, we had to call her like slut and ho. … It's like we were brainwashed into thinking that this is what was supposed to happen, and we followed his orders. But I always loved [my mother]."