Are you aware that 90% of children personally know and trust their abuser! These man and women are good at gaining our children's and even our own trust. This process is commonly referred to as grooming. To the naked eye, it can seem like nothing more than a caring and helpful adult. So, how can we tell the difference between a healthy, caring, adult and one that has motives to hurt our little ones? There are red flags and when we see them or our guts say "something just doesn't seem right" we must act on that. We can't just pass the problem on to someone else, in the hopes to clean our hands and conscience of what we see and feel as inappropriate. Some of the red flags are as following:
- Someone continually disregarding to let your child set boundaries. Boundaries and limits are there for a purpose. The person with corrupt intentions will consistently test those limits.
-An adult that seem preoccupied with a children "source Oprah.com"
-Adults who seem to engage in frequent contact with children, i.e., casual touching, caressing, wrestling, tickling, combing hair or having children sit on their lap. "source Oprah.com"
-Adults who act like children when with children or who allow children to do questionable or inappropriate things. "source Oprah.com"
-Adults who want to take your children on special outings too frequently or plan activities that would include being alone with your child. "source Oprah.com"
-Adults who do not have children and seem to know too much about the current fads or music popular with children. "source Oprah.com"
-Adults that your children seem to like for reasons you don't understand. "source Oprah.com"
-Adults who seem able to infiltrate family and social functions or are "always available" to watch your kids. "source Oprah.com"
These are just some common red flags to help us identify where a child maybe in harms way. We must not become jaded or paranoid that all good deeds have a motive but if your gut and heart do not feel right, ACT!
