Taking Sexual Abuse Head On: A Christian Mom's Guide
When my oldest son was five he casually told me that a six-year-old playmate “touched me near my penis and kissed me.” I went numb because I knew this little boy had been sexually abused and now was mimicking what happened to him. I wondered would my son mimic what this boy did to him. I was a mess. I will detail below how we handled the situation, but for now consider this: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau, at least 695,000 children in the United States had been sexually abused at least once in the last reporting year of 2010. Even though this number is astounding, the reported number of children being abused had dropped from the previous year. The decline in no way suggests that less abuse is happening.
Predators have become more bold and crafty in their approach by using such means as social media sites to prey on children. Others, namely 45-year-old rapper “Too Short,” have gone from singing about abuse to instructing boys on how to sexually abuse girls. As this world becomes more wickedly predatory we have to become wiser in protecting our children.
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Reader Comments (2)
Rhonda, thank you for sharing this article. I was raped at 17 and it brought up a lot of issues in me as an adult. When I had kids I was operating out of fears that the same thing would happen to them. I have to let go of fear, do my part as a parent and trust God to do the rest. I can not thank you enough for this!!
EV,
Praise God that you recognize that you have been operating out of fear with your children. You have confessed that and I will pray for you so your healing is on the way (James 5:16). Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate all you've said.