“Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.” (Dumbledore)

Families and society need to hear specifics, things they do not want to hear about childhood sexual abuse. By evading specifics do we rise above some unseen platitude or do we help this kind of depravity to continue?

Words need to be changed for younger audiences. It is necessary to teach children that if you feel uncomfortable about anyone touching you say, “NO!” And back them. If anyone touches your private parts tell an adult and keep telling until you are heard… And explain that private parts are the parts a bathing suit covers.

If my mother had taught me that, I would know what to tell her. If my mother had taught me that, I would trust that I could tell her. I did not know what Tom was doing to me. I had no words.

And later when I did tell I was chastised, then expected to keep the crimes done to me within myself. If I’d been abducted off the street and had been subjected to the same depravity that Tom inflicted, my so called ‘family’ would never expect me to be around him again, nor hug him, or suffer his hugs. Yet that is what was expected and is still expected. That it is something to let go off so that they can keep pretending.