Ok, so the country and the world is abuzz about what’s going on in the world of Herman Cain, Penn State, Joe Paterno and a former coach, Jerry Sandusky. Herman is doing what’s necessary to get people to believe that nothing happened with any of these women currently coming forward. I do not have enough information to go either way. I still happen to believe in innocent until proven guilty.

We are all familiar with the sentence, “Opinions are like Q@#$%!, everybody has one.” I know that when emotions run high, misinformation runs rampant. It’s like that game of telling someone at the beginning of the line a quick story. By the time that story gets to the end of the line, it’s not the same story. Therefore, until I get enough information to make an informed decision, I pause. 🙂

Now, with the Penn State story… that’s a little different. Well, that’s a lot different. I have two lovely children whom I cherish and adore. As a father, it is my job to teach them in the way that they should go. I am to protect them as best as I can. To do that, my children and I are in constant contact and conversation. We still eat together at night with no cell phones or tv. We talk. We discuss our days and talk about the wonders of 1st and 2nd grade. We talk about my day. We know each other well enough through this close contact to sense if something is wrong. Then, we can openly talk about it. One of my daughters was having issues with a bully at school. She was being nice about it, but it was starting to get to her. We talked about it. I had a discussion with her teacher and fortunately the situation got resolved. My daughter knows how to protect herself so the little boy is lucky she didn’t bloody his nose; that’s a discussion for another blog, lol!

But, in all seriousness I realize that many parents worry about what’s going on in their kids’ worlds. At the forefront of those worries right now, in large part due to the Penn State cover up (alleged…) is potential sexual abuse from someone. Are you strong enough to have this conversation with your children? Do you know the signs to look for?

According to Stop it Now! you should be on the lookout for:

-Nightmares or other sleep problems without an explanation
-Your child suddenly seems distracted or distant at odd times
-Their eating habits change or they suddenly refuse to eat
-Sudden mood swings: rage, fear, insecurity or withdrawal

Of course, there are also physical warning signs to look for, but they are rare. Bring your child to their doctor if there are physical signs. They can help you understand what may be happening and test for sexually transmitted diseases.

So, you suspect. You notice some of these signs. These signs can be related to a lot of things of course, but most of them are related to a problem of some sort going on in your child’s life. A discussion is definitely in order. Get involved. Be a parent. Talk to your children. Train them up right and protect them. It’s still the best job in the world.