911

Sexual Abuse

Remember where you were on September 11?  I had just started a meeting, it was cloudy and a couple people were running late.  A few minutes into the meeting almost everyone’s cell phones started going off.   You know the rest.   It’s one of those moments that gets imprinted permanently in our brain.

Fast forward to a sunny summer Saturday morning a few years later.  I can remember looking at buttercups out in the field because they seem to be rather plentiful that day.  My wife had just taken our daughter to Saturday morning activities and suddenly showed back up in the driveway at warp speed.  The next few minutes were my debriefing of the conversation that just took place in the car.  I can assure you that  September 11 will be about the closest comparison in trying to process the discovery that your child is being sexually abused.

The new reality

After September 11 a lot of things changed.  Air travelers got to experience the joys of the TSA.  The Empire State building once again returned to it’s place at the top of the skyline.   Flags returned to porches and flag poles, and American’s gathered together.  Your own personal 911 will have a fair amount of drama as well, but not as much flag waving.  And much like NYC, you can find your strength, rebuild and move forward.

Would you want to know?

Sexual Abuse

So – you’re living in Delaware and you just saw on the news that your child’s pediatrician has been charged with sexually abusing more than 100 victims.  You have no indications that anything has happened to your child.  Would you want to know if your child was actually molested?

Facing the Fear

I don’t know if there is a right answer although I tend to lean towards knowing.  Symptoms related to sexual abuse can manifest themselves years later.  Often children have no memory of the abuse, but can still develop symptoms.   Finding out your child has been molested is extremely difficult, but information is power.  You can educate yourself about symptoms and know what to look for as your child grows up.

If you happen to be in this situation and a coin toss isn’t working for you, feel free to drop me a note.  I’ve been down one of the paths you are considering.  At least I can tell you what one way is like.

Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.