Protecting Your Child from Predators

EdD Robinson Beth

Description

Even good parents often underestimate the dangers their children face. Research indicates that one in four females and one in six males are sexually abused before age 18. In most cases, the enemy is not a faceless stranger; it's someone you know and trust--a neighbor, a coach, or even a family member.This book provides practical steps to ensure you're doing all you can to reduce the risks of abuse. But since you cannot be with your children 24/7, it goes beyond what you can do as a parent to teach you how to increase your child's own awareness and strategies in the face of potential dangers--without making them fearful.Dr. Robinson, whose decades-long practice focuses on abused and endangered children, calls on her own case studies to show age-appropriate conversation starters for parents, teaching them how to ask the right questions and provide the right boundaries.This book will help you move from fear to confidence on this heavy topic that is just too important to ignore.

Sujets

• Child abuse

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 06 août 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493418725
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Endorsements
“If you’re a parent, chances are one of your biggest fears is that your child will be sexually assaulted—and given today’s 24-hour news cycle, we see and hear plenty of sickening accounts to feed our worst fears. In their new book, however, Drs. Robinson and Scott encourage you not to live in fear, but to equip yourself and your kids with the awareness and skills that will help keep them safe.”
—Jim Daly, president, Focus on the Family
“This book is a weapon against the enemy of your child’s heart and soul. It’s a shield to protect them from known and unknown predators. It will enable you to parent not out of fear but confidently. It’s such a practical and empowering book!”
—Chris Fabry, author and host of Chris Fabry Live
“This book should be a desk reference for every parent, pastor, church leader, school administrator, teacher, and anyone who works with children. The authors do a fantastic job of equipping parents to foster a ‘warrior’s heart’ in their children.”
—Camille Cates, author, speaker, ACBC certified counselor
“ Protecting Your Child from Predators was an absolute eye-opener for me. Robinson and Scott made me aware of the dangers our children face. Full of practical tips for sleepovers, camps, and neighborhood bike rides. This book is a must-read for every parent to keep their children safe and strong.”
—Sam Chan, City Bible Forum, Australia
“In our world today, this book is necessary and sobering. It was especially helpful in breaking down age groups, giving specific examples of how predators work. It is our moral and Christian responsibility to be informed, take action, and do our very best to protect all who are at risk. This resource is needed in every home, school, and church.”
—Lisa Crump, vice-president volunteer mobilization and liaison to prayer ministries, National Day of Prayer Task Force
“At a time when we’re becoming increasingly aware of the prevalence of sexual abuse, we need the guidance Drs. Robinson and Scott provide in this long-overdue resource. Parents will be thankful for the safeguards presented here to protect their children and teens from life-altering abuse. And so will the children in your care.”
—Sally Gary, director, CenterPeace, and author of Loves God, Likes Girls
“ Protecting Your Child from Predators is one of the most comprehensive and helpful books on abuse written specifically for parents. It’s the perfect balance of factual research, personal stories, and application for each stage of your child’s development. This book will help prevent abuse.”
—Jimmy Hinton, MDiv, minister and abuse advocate, Somerset Church of Christ, JimmyHinton.org
“Sadly, whether it is a doctor, teacher, or most regrettably, a member of the clergy, child sexual abuse is plaguing our sexually saturated culture. Love your children and grandchildren by protecting them. This book is a great tool for you to prepare now or run the risk of counseling later.”
—Corey Miller, PhD, president/CEO, Ratio Christi
“Our worst nightmare—someone we love, especially a child, experiences any form of sexual abuse. And we find out years later, which finally explains the acting out, the hiding, the sudden shift in personality, but doesn’t do a thing for our sense of helplessness and horror that it occurred under our watch. Drs. Beth Robinson and Latayne Scott provide a no-nonsense guide to facing this difficult subject unflinchingly. Their suggestions are clear and concise. Their approach is sensitive yet direct. This is a must-have guide for anyone who has charge of raising a human being—a needed support for navigating these difficult waters of an all too pervasive plague—predators.”
—Patti Rokus, author/artist of RocksTellStories.com
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2019 by Beth Robinson and Latayne C. Scott
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1872-5
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations identified NET are from the NET Bible®, copyright © 1996–2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NI r V are from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®. NIrV®. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com. The “NIrV” and “New International Reader’s Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Scripture quotations identified NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover design by Dan Pitts
Authors are represented by Credo Communications, LLC.
Dedication
Beth dedicates this book to the courageous children, teens, and parents who have survived and thrived after being sexually abused. Their warrior hearts have inspired her and graced her life.
Latayne dedicates this book to her grandchildren.
Epigraph
Since it is so likely that [our children] will meet cruel enemies,
let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.
Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.
—C. S. Lewis
Contents
Cover 1
Endorsements 2
Half Title Page 3
Title Page 5
Copyright Page 6
Dedication 7
Epigraph 8
Acknowledgments 11
Introduction: Creating a Warrior Heart 13
1. Know the Turf, Have a Plan, Protect Your Children 19
2. You Want Me to Talk About Sex? 25
Section I: Children Five and Under 31
3. Children Five and Under: What They Should Know 33
4. Abuse by Authority Figure: The Sitter 39
5. Abuse by a Peer: The Small Group Bible Study 54
6. Abuse by Family Member or Trusted Friend: The Cousin 65
7. Abuse by Strangers: At the Restaurant 80
Section II: Children Ages Six to Eleven 93
8. Children Six to Eleven: What They Should Know 95
9. Abuse by Authority Figure: Private Lessons 100
10. Abuse by Family/Trusted Friends: The Sleepover 112
11. Abuse by Peer/Authority Figure: Summer Camp 123
12. Abuse by Stranger : Riding Bikes in the Neighborhood 134
13. Abuse Involving Technology: The Wikipedia Ambush 144
Section III: Ages Twelve and Older 157
14. Ages Twelve and Older: What Your Adolescent Should Know 159
15. Abuse by Authority Figure: The Mission Trip 166
16. Abuse by Family/Trusted Friend: The Coach 179
17. Abuse by Peer: Dating Violence 193
18. Abuse by Strangers: Malls and Other Public Places 205
19. Abuse Using Technology: Unsupervised Access to Technology—Apps 216
Conclusion 227
Recommended Resources 233
Notes 235
About the Authors 239
Back Cover 240
Acknowledgments
T he authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the support of their families during this process; the advocacy of Tim Beals, our agent at Credo Communications; and Sam Chan, author of Evangelism in a Skeptical World , for his insights about the importance of narratives and scenarios, which so influenced the writing of this book.
Introduction
Creating a Warrior Heart
I s there a parent or grandparent who isn’t reeling from the news about the sexual abuse of young people in the sports and entertainment worlds? Is there an educator or church leader who is not grieving—and worried—by what is happening to young children every day?
In the most extreme cases—like that of sports doctor Larry Nassar, who reportedly assaulted more than 150 talented, beautiful young girls 1 —those devastated parents and others in their situation have two questions:
What could I have done to prevent this?
What could I tell other parents that would help them recognize their children are being sexually abused?
If you sit in a pew on Sundays, it’s statistically probable that you are surrounded by adults and youth who have been abused but aren’t willing or able to talk about it publicly. In fact, my research and experience tell me that on average, 1 in every 4 female churchgoers has been abused in the past, and 1 in 6 of the males.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. The past is not the future. This can stop now, and it can stop with the active involvement of parents to inform and protect their children. You can protect your child by empowering him or her to have a warrior heart.
If you are a parent, the birth of your first child automatically made you a protector. Women were gifted with the role of mother, and men were knighted with the privilege of fatherhood. With both roles comes the honor of protecting.
My job as a counselor who specializes in cases involving abused children brings me face-to-face with hurting parents. Someone has injured their innocent child. Somebody has ambushed their lives.
In most cases, the enemy at their gates was not a faceless stranger. The enemy has come inside their gates, has been living there. It was someone they loved and trusted.
In fact, acquaintances or friends are responsible for a full 75 per