Sorry to hear of your own issues Emma and glad to hear you find help in your network.  It does help understand what Shannon will have to cope with plus she has the notoriety angle to deal with too.  I hope she gets a great deal of help and if she does make a few bob in a few years time telling her tale I shan't begrudge it.

cant agree more Lokis mum.

Evil woman should have her kids taken into care before she harms them as well.
poor Shannon will have to grow up with this awful thing hanging over her head.
i only hope she learns to love and repest herself when shes older.

poor Shannon will have to grow up with this awful thing hanging over her head.

She has a huge burden to shoulder and it is very unfair, but she will have the knowledge that the people causing her harm have been punished in whatever way that will be.  So many people (me included and not by a parent) never told of abuse because they felt it was/is their fault and oh how I wish the -------- were caught, and were punished accordingly. 

Nature or nurture?
A female animal gets much of it's parenting skills from it's parent- by the experience of being the child of a good parent.

This is very personal for me as I had a "not so great childhood" and because of my believe that I would copy from my mother's behaviour towards me I never wanted children. However, in my late 30's I had my son and he is now 4 years old and ANYONE who would lay a hand on him will have to reckon with me. No one and absolutely NO ONE will hurt my child. I had no positive female role modell when I grew up, both of my grandmothers were dead by the time I was born. So that argument doesn't wash with me although I am very well aware of the all the studies being done in that field. 

Otterhound it does not follow that because a person was abused that they will also be an abuser, you have proved that theory wrong!

You sound like a perfect parent, you will protect your child or children and that is what a parent should do.  Thank goodness abuse doesn't ruin everyone's life forever :)