Please Don't Hit Me, Mom (1982)

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A very young Sean Astin co-stars with his mother, Patty Duke, in this powerful drama about child abuse. Unlike most of his friends, who are cheerful and outgoing, eight-year-old Brian Reynolds (Astin) is shy, morose, and withdrawn. Curious as to why Brian behaves the way he does, teenager Nancy… More A very young Sean Astin co-stars with his mother, Patty Duke, in this powerful drama about child abuse. Unlike most of his friends, who are cheerful and outgoing, eight-year-old Brian Reynolds (Astin) is shy, morose, and withdrawn. Curious as to why Brian behaves the way he does, teenager Nancy Parks (Nancy McKeon) stumbles upon a terrible secret: Brian's divorced, stressed-out mother, Barbara (Patty Duke), takes out her frustrations by savagely beating Brian on a regular basis. So now Nancy knows the reason for Brian's sadness -- but should she tell the authorities or simply mind her own business? Originally produced for the ABC Afterschool Special series, Please Don't Hit Me, Mom made its debut in prime time as one of three ABC Theater for Young Americans presentations; the film finally aired as part of ABC's afternoon schedule on January 19, 1983. ~ Rovi