Transitioning Times

Dear Mom and Dad: Stopping child sexual abuse before it happens is one of the best responses to child sexual abuse, but it is also one of the most difficult conversations to have with parents.  As a prevention educator, I puzzle over why some parents unwittingly fail their children in regards to taking the necessary measures to protect them from child sexual abuse.  Admittedly, child sexual abuse makes us feel sick inside.  It fills our hearts with dread and our minds with confusion.  It is downright scary to contemplate that one of our friends or trusted family members may be a potential predator.  It is all too easy to tell ourselves that this happens to other people and in other families since nobody in our circles would dream of doing such a thing.  If only this were true.  A father told me last week that he did not want to destroy his first-grader’s innocence.  “Why does she need to know about such things?  I do not want her...

Child sexual abuse wreaks havoc upon kids.   A child’s developing body is not built for abuse, especially sexual abuse.   Sexual abuse not only harms their little bodies, but can also leave ongoing social and emotional scars upon the boy or girl.   In some cases, the child suffers developmentally and may never experience the joys of a healthy sexual relationship or becoming a parent as an adult.   They can grow up feeling helpless, humiliated, and develop a deep mistrust of others.   For others, childhood sexual assault can lead to becoming prey to other predators because of their psychologically weakened state. Kids who are sexually violated by adults and older kids often regress.  They start to suck their thumbs and wet the bed, have bad dreams, tummy aches, and problems at school.  They may withdraw from others and stop getting along with other children.     Many survivors of childhood sexual abuse turn to drugs, alcohol, pro...