As an abuse survivor, as well as an abuse blogger, I take issue with your painting abuse bloggers with a single paintbrush.
Yes, there are "enraged bashing" blogs. But many of us are just out there telling our stories, seeking support. When I started my blog, I was almost completely alone in my healing journey. Now, I have a network of over 100 girls and women, and have only disconnected from a dozen or so, because they bash, and that's not our purpose.
Additionally, while I respect the view that classroom teaching may not be as modest as one-on-one discussions with parents, I know from not only my own experience, but the collective experience of my large support network, that leaving the education only to parents can be devastating. As was correctly pointed out in the article, abuse is more likely to occur within the family system than in school. What about the hundreds of kids who think abusive behavior is normal, because it's coming from their parents. If Totty is doing it, it must be okay, right? And if Totty or Mommy is the abuser (because females do offend as well), who is sitting down to have this one-on-one talk?
I do not know if any research supports my personal recommendation in this area, but I believe the best abuse prevention education system is a three pronged approach with checks and balances. Education must come from the parents, the school, and the child's doctor. This way, if any one part of the system is failing, the other two are there to catch the child.
I agree with this. My doctor is really good about this. Whenever I bring my little boy (he's all of four years old) to the doctor, he repeats about three short sentences to make sure this concept is clear in his head. "No one is ever allowed to touch you over here-except a doctor when mommy or tatty are watching..." and he says it in a way that little kids can understand.
ReplyDeleteI hope there are more doctors out there like this. I hope the awareness can spread so kids know what is and is not okay and they have a safe place to share it-if they do experience bad touch.