A Conversation to have with New Boarders

alooknac
Thu, 01 Aug 2013 09:27:23 +0000

I hate to even bring it up, but as I have sent my kids off to camps and boarding schools, I have counseled them, hopefully in a low key way, that places with lots of kids are attractive to pedophiles and other adults who use their positions of trust and/or power to prey on unsuspecting victims.

We have all seen and heard of the various scandals. I just think it’s worth a reminder when sending kids off to a residential setting. They may need a reminder that the school that they behold with starry eyes may house a nefarious individual, a reminder that abusers are not usually despicable strangers, but rather much-beloved friendly adults (sorry Albion!). Mostly a reminder that if they begin to have even a vague uneasy feeling about an adult’s interaction with themselves or another student, they should talk about it with you–their parents–or another uninvolved adult, for help in sorting out and monitoring the situation.

It’s a fine line to walk between reminders and instilling fear, I know. But abusers succeed as long as they do because kids get sucked into their vortex incrementally and hold the adult in high esteem.