I just want to say thank you to everyone for the support and encouraging words. I drew a lot of strength from this thread and the contact made in PMs. You people are very wise and I am glad I brought this to Barbelith's attention.
It is easy to just avoid talking about this, to anyone, let alone our kids, but as Live/TTS/MC points out, adults cannot choose their own emotional comfort over the safety of a child. That is indisputable. (MC, I am going to be repeating that for the rest of my life while doing work in this capacity, just so you know! I'll credit you, even! As the wise MC once said....).
Anyway, I was rather pleased with how I handled that situation, and I hope I am going to be able continue to do so. It seems that without my personal background I may have been oblivious and made excuses for this jerk's behaviour. So, in some twisted way, if all that BS and trauma I went through made me more sensitive and capable to detect and avoid this trauma for my son, it was damn well worth everything. I might not have clued in till it was too late.
Trips, that is definately a good idea to continue with this education, and describe things in a ways as he grows older that are appropriate. Especially as he nears his teens, alerting him to the dangers of the internet. There are different dangers and approaches taken by predators, as kids grow up. |
