There's a line between dysfunction and abuse.

The question is, where is that line, and how thick is it?
Every time Kyle gets in trouble over nothing, that same question comes up. It's stupid stuff, like being fifteen minutes late or forgetting to call on his way home from school, but every time it ends in one of those screaming fights that make him want to die and often the loss of his cell phone.
The important part here isn't the cell phone loss, it's the fights where he can't make points or he's told to 'shut the fuck up' (especially if they're valid points). I had a conversation about this with a friend, and she said "At least it isnt physical abuse... it could be worse".Whether it could be worse or not isn't the point; regardless of how bad it is in comparison with all of the evil in the world it's still abuse and it's still horrible when you have to live with it.
I know.
I had to deal with it in some form too.
It seems to be hard for her to understand because she lives in gross dysfunction. There's yelling, yes, and it's consistent, but she can fight back. she isn't helpless and regardless of how much they're yelling she still gets her point across. It's hard for me to explain because of that line... I don't know where it stands and how thick it is. It seems that it would be slight, but when it comes down to it the differences between dysfunction and abuse are more obvious than not. It's like the line between abuse and torture.