Parents, Guardians, & Counselors Asking Kids About Inappropriate Conduct By Adults

 The Jerry Sandusky / Penn State Child Abuse Cover Up, Steubenville Ohio House Party Rape of a Minor, a former Danbury Gymnastics Coach found guilty of sexual assault against minors in his charge...these are reminders of why anyone (parent, guardian, teacher, etc.) responsible for the safety and security of a minor needs to remind kids of all ages of what is appropriate and what is not. Too often the safety and security of minors is assumed to be taken care of, but it may not be so. Having that discussion with children and especially adolescents (who assume they are grown up) is an important part of prevention. Letting teenagers know what the age of consent means is also important or they maybe convinced or groomed to believe otherwise. 

In the case of Child Predators, these individuals are driven, experienced in gaining access and trust, target kids lacking strong supervision, and often have multiple victims before they are discovered. Guardians of children and teenagers need to trust their instincts to err on the side of caution and make sure NO ONE is performing any inappropriate conduct (touching, speech, nudity). Child Predator Jerry Sandusky took a benign event (have a teenager take a shower after an athletic event) and used that as an opportunity to abuse children.  

PA Grand Jury Transcript Against Jerry Sandusky

TRUST NO ONE WITH YOUR CHILD THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW WELL. EVEN THEN, IT IS OK TO ASK YOUR CHILD IF ANY ADULT HAS EVER DONE ANYTHING INAPPROPRIATE AROUND THEM OR WITH THEM.