Hi there and welcome back. We’ve been talking about a subject that can be very hard for parents to consider, but let’s face it – parenting is hard. We get that you may not want to think about this right now, and we don’t blame you, Christmas time shouldn’t be depressing or scary or sad. But as parents we owe it to our kids to keep them safe, regardless of the time of year. And being prepared for all eventualities is part of that commitment. And as we mentioned in the previous article, it would be awful is someone blamed you for what happened, simply because they think you “let it happen”! So how can you avoid that issue this holiday season?
“Know before you go” is a good policy!
Sometimes knowledge really is power. If you know what you’re up against before you get there, you can be better prepared, and you can prepare your children. If you know that one of your relatives is a sex offender, you can make the decision ahead of time whether you want to be present for that get-together, and whether or not you’ll be able to keep your kids safe. If you’re not sure, you can always run the names of the people who will be there through the Michigan State Police sex crimes database beforehand to check it out. If you arrive and discover there are people at the gathering you don’t know and didn’t anticipate, you can always introduce yourself, get their names and slip away to the bathroom to run them through the database on your phone.
Prepare your kids (if they’re old enough) and keep an eye on them!
You can always have a conversation with your kids ahead of time about appropriate behavior while you’re out with family and at other people’s homes. Remind younger kids about ‘bad touch’, and let older kids know that you are always ready to listen if they have something uncomfortable to share. Also, let them know that if someone is behaving inappropriately and they’re uncomfortable, you’ll be happy to leave so as to keep them safe. Also, be sure to keep an eye out during the festivities. Make unannounced checks on the kids while they’re playing, and keep a lookout for adults who seem to be taking an unhealthy interest in the children. After all, better safe than sorry!
Listen to your gut and trust your instincts!
If you don’t feel safe around a certain person, don’t ignore your feelings. If someone at the party seems overly interested in one of your children, or one of your kids says they feel uncomfortable being near a particular person, listen to that instinct! Keep a sharp eye out, and keep your kids under a close watch. If the group is too large and the distractions are too frequent, don’t feel bad about leaving early. You can always claim to feel ill if you aren’t comfortable being there, or you believe your kids are at risk of abuse, and you aren’t comfortable saying so.
Don’t let someone else’s actions ruin you or your child’s future!
Finding out that someone hurt your child is devastating! Finding out that somehow you’re being blamed for letting it happen is even worse! If someone has sexually assaulted your child or harmed them in some way, make sure you protect your family from false allegations and wrongful blame. If a cop, a prosecutor, or a CPS worker accuses you of parental neglect or failure to protect your child, call The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245 and get help from the professionals. Our skilled and experienced child abuse defense attorneys have spent decades defending parents against invasive CPS tactics and false allegations. We can help you too!