It's the End of The World as We Know It

[cricketshay]

It is time. If you believe the contents of this entry can help someone you know and love, by all means link to it. I'm leaving it exposed for public view for that purpose, to help. Pass the information along and remember it CAN happen to you.

Comments

[caitygrl96]

That is scary and so real. My 9 year old plays on neopets.com and had some boy ask her for her phone number. I quickly nipped that in the butt and MONITOR EVERYTHING. I explained to her that it could be a 40 year old criminal on the other end of the computer... it scared the daylights out of her that she got up twice throughout the night upset. Have to keep that fear in them for their own protection.
How is your daughter doing? How are YOU doing?
I can't imagine how violated the both of you feel....
Thank goodness they got him and will lock his ass up!!!

*hugs*

I friended you.

[cricketshay]

It is scary. She is getting better. She still hates to talk about it and wants it to just go away. I'm getting better. I was pretty upset when I first found out. (you can tell by the past locked entries)

I friended you also!

[caitygrl96]

I am sure you were. Talking about it helps... hopefully your daughter will get past this too ...

[cricketshay]

Writing about the experience and my anger has helped. I feel validated.

[laurie_daniels]

Shay, I haven't really been posting on these, because I want you to share in your own time, but this was VERY well-written, and you deserve to be praised for it. Great job- I hope it helps other mommies out there.

[cricketshay]

Thanks. I was working on it for awhile. Feel free to link to it. I want other people to know it can happen and does happen.

I was thinking of entering the Glamour contest again this year and using what happened as the topic.

[arpeggiodreams]

If you want to be pro-active, I help Human Shield on Yahoo. There are more details at PeeJ.

[cricketshay]

Thanks for the information. *bookmarks* He found her in a Yahoo chat room and they chatted on Yahoo messenger. I wonder if that is how he was caught.

[cricketshay]

*joined forum* Thanks again for the information.

[teacupdiaries]

Wandered over here from alchemylab. I hope you don't mind

[cricketshay]

Thanks. At the time of the abuse, she didn't know he was 42. She just found out when I did. In a way it shocked her. She thought it was a weird 18 year old.

I have always tried to keep the lines of communitcation open with my children and accept them for who they are. I didn't feel my parents listened to me or knew who I was. I swore I wasn't going to be like that.

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm glad nothing bad happened to you.
*hugs*

[kristenred]

I want to thank you for this, Honey. I am linking in my journal, and I know how much it took for you to write it.

If you save one, Sweetie--you have chaged the life of a child. And STOP beating yourself up--you took every precaution you could. And you can only hold those apron strings so tight. Sometimes you have to let them go, and let them fall. I know, believe me, that it hurts like hell. But you have done such a great job of protecting them from EVERYTHING that you just couldn't have foreseen this. Take it easy on you.

Huge mental hug.

[cricketshay]

You're welcome. I'm not as hard on me as I was two weeks ago. I've been going through stages. First, was disbelieve, next was blaming myself, then anger. Now I'm wanting to help. :)

I think I might do a bit more research and expand this post into something of an article and see if someone wants to publish it. I might wait till after April and the sentencing.