I wasn’t excited about their creative use of my power and
there was some unpleasant discussion. The
men moved their power cord across the street to an unoccupied home. No one
would ever know, no one, except the repairmen, and me.
I don’t know what you would call
this, but I call it stealing. Perhaps
the men thought there was no harm in stealing a little power if it was done in
secret.
Have you ever had something stolen from you? It can be a
devastating experience, creating sadness, anger, and fear. If the stolen item had great value to you, you
may have been heartbroken. No matter
what the value of the stolen property, you probably felt somewhat violated.
When a child is sexually abused something has been stolen
from them; something that cannot be replaced.
I call it stolen childhood. For
an abused child, childhood will never be quite the same. An abused child may feel sadness, anger, or
fear. This is a crime that is veiled in
secrecy. In fact, secrecy is the abuser’s
best friend.
- Teach children that they are in charge of their own bodies and that no one has the right to touch them inappropriately. Children should know which parts of their bodies are private. A simple definition of private parts is the parts of their bodies that are covered by a swimming suit.
- Teach your children what to do if someone touches them inappropriately. Teach them to get away as soon as possible, and always tell. Be aware that an abuser will warn your child not to tell. Tell your child that telling is the only way to be safe.
- Teach
your children to trust their feelings.
If something feels uncomfortable, there is something wrong. Tell them they can talk to you about
anything that doesn’t feel right.
It’s important to know where your kids are and who they are
with. This isn’t controlling, it’s just
smart. Let your kids know that you want
to know what’s going on in their lives because you care about them. Trust your feelings. If something doesn’t feel right, find out
why. The only thing worse than finding
out that your child is being abused, is not finding out.
Always listen to your child, and always believe him or
her. If you find out that your child is
being abused take steps to protect him or her from further abuse. Report the abuse to local authorities and
seek help from your family physician. Counseling
may be a good idea. Though sexual abuse
is devastating, healing is possible.
Support your child in the healing process. Never blame your child. Abuse is never the child’s fault.
Linda Garner
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