Warning Signs of Sexual Abuse

Parenting Class 101 -Know Your Child's Tendencies
In a true parenting class, the first thing parents are taught is to know their child; meaning, getting to know their child's tendencies, personality, nuances and ebb and flow. This is vital in so many areas of your child's life. By knowing their tendencies you can pick up rather quickly if your child is sick, in pain or being subject to any type of danger.

With that being said, the warning signs of sexual abuse are based on the ideology that you know your child's tendencies. When you see your child's personality, habits and behavior take a turn from the norm; something is usually going on. It may not be sexual abuse, however, as a good parent, it demands further investigation.

Parenting Class 101 - My Child is Demonstrating Behavioral Problems
When a child (When I say, "Child" I'm referring to both child and teenager) is a victim of sexual abuse, the trauma may every well likely be manifested in behavioral problems. If a child, for the most part has been well-behaved and suddenly starts to exhibit behavioral problems, is time to look into if something is going on. Behavioral issues such as becoming unruly, defying adult authority and using abusive language towards adult figures are all signs that something is a amiss.

Parenting Class 101 - My Child is Seems Depressed
Often times when a child is unable to express or verbalize that he or she has been or continues to be sexually abused, they go into a state of depression. The depression could manifest itself in a subtle uprising or a sudden impact. The age of the child will determine how they act out but the important question to ask yourself is this, "Is my child acting out of the norm?"

Parenting Class 101 - My Child is Experiencing Academic Problems
This is one of the tell-tale signs that should be glaringly apparent but as is the case, many parents miss it. If your child has demonstrated themselves to be an attentive student with good grades and takes a turn in the opposite direction, that should be an immediate red flag.

Parenting Class 101 - My Child is Wanting To Avoid, School, Church, Etc.
One method that a child uses to escape their tormentors is by avoiding them or location or place where the crime took place. If your child seems to have a clear aversion to avoid going to school, church or other activities, that is a strong warning sign that something has happened or is happening.

Parenting Class 101 - My Child Has Shut Me Out of Their Life
If you had a close bond with your child and an open relationship in which the two of you could talk and all of a sudden he or she shuts you out of their life, that is a red flag that something is going wrong. If their behavior becomes one of keeping secrets, and insisting that you back off, you should be alarmed.

Parenting Class 101 - Acting Out Sexually
It is normal for a child to go through certain phases of sexual development. However, if a child starts acting out sexually this should be cause for concern. The acting out could be something as seemingly innocent as obsessively talking about sex to engaging in sexually provocative conduct with other kids. There was an incident in the summer of 2006, at a day camp in Leesburg, Florida, that illustrates this point. Authorities say an 8-year-old boy taught other kids how to have sexual relations. I always tell parents to err on the side of caution and check things out.

Parenting Class 101 - They Are Awfully Close To My Child
As a parent, you should know that no stranger or adult should be spending any amount of time alone with your child when they are unsupervised. I always caution all parents to be weary of adults who display a drive, plan or plot to be alone with their child. If you go back and research most of the cases involving teachers and ministers who sexually abused children, you will find one eerie reoccurring theme; the perpetrator set it up so that could be alone with their victims.

Parenting Class 101 - Always Remember This...
The most important thing to remember is knowing your child's tendencies, habits and behavior and when something deviates from the norm, it's time for you as concerned parent to look into whether something is behind your concerns or suspicions. Sexual predators operate under the cloak of darkness and they thrive in situations where the parents are not actively engaged with children. Don't open up the door for these perps; spend quality time with your children, talk with them and make sure they know that you love them!