Right now, there are child molesters looking to get access to our children.
They’re everywhere. Anywhere there is a child. They’re in our schools, they’re in the sports leagues, they’re in the churches, they’re in the temples. Everywhere there’s kids, there are predators looking to get access to kids. It’s a compulsion for them. They’re not gonna stop. They’re looking for that opportunity. And for parents, we need to be aware of this. The more we are aware, the more we can do to protect our kids.
The first thing is to understand, you know, who is this predator? The answer is, it’s probably somebody you know, may even trust. It’s not typically the stranger in the park. We grew up hearing stranger danger. Well, stranger danger is dangerous to me, because what that tells a child is that if they’re not a stranger, well, they’re okay. That’s not really what happens. The truth is, is that most kids are sexually abused by somebody that they know, and this predator is somebody who’s probably going to try to gain the trust of the family. They may be a coach, they may be a teacher, they may be a religious leader. They’re going to use that position to seem trustworthy and to groom the family and then groom the child.
You might see them giving special gifts to your child, paying special attention to your child, things like that. And so what do you look for as an adult, as a parent? The answer is you look for red flags. Be aware. Know who is interacting with your child. If there’s a man who is in your child’s life, you need to know what the interaction is between that man and your child. Did that man give your child a gift? Is he giving him or her special attention? Does he ever contact your child through electronics, email, phone, texting, any way? Do they want to spend time alone with your child? These are all red flags that as a parent you have to look out for.