patron-saint-of-smart-asses:

As important as it is to teach kids and teens about “tricky adults” we must also teach them how to handle their peers who are also preying on them. My assaulter was nine years old, his buddy was eight, and both of them assaulted me because of what they found in porn. THEY WEREN’T EVEN TEENS YET AND THEY SAW PORN.

So many young kids are being exposed to porn either because their parents do not connect with them regularly and have unrestrained internet access, or because another child/adult showed it to them. And it is not uncommon for a child who was assaulted to act out and do similar things to other kids too. This reality of porn and assault happening to children so young is creating a generation of broken youth who are told about Chester the Molestor down the street but not about Bobby Joe or Bessie Jane next door who is hypersexual and targets their friends.

Talk to your kids about porn, sex, and boundaries, at age appropriate levels. Role play with the younger ones on what to do if they are dealing with a tricky kid or tricky situation, and where to go if they are touched in a way they do not want to be touched. Give your teens space to talk about their fears and worries about their drama at school because as silly as you think it is, there may be more under the surface and you need to be there for them to trust you.

Watch out for tricky kids/teens. They are there too.