31 days of anonymity {day 10 – dear mom and dad}

Dear Mom and Dad,

I love you both very much. You brought me into this world. You cared for me and loved me the best you knew how. You taught me basic life-skills. Taught me right from wrong. And for that I’m grateful.

But I don’t understand why you let me go with him. That grown man. The one who was supposed to be my safe place. My teacher.

I was only 14

the first time you let me spend the night at his house. With him and his wife. Didn’t you think that was odd? I know there was a friend with me, but still.

You couldn’t have possibly known about all the nights I lied to you and snuck out of the house to pick up my friend and drove an hour away just to be with him. Only his wife wasn’t there. I became his wife of sorts. He did things to me that I’m sure only grown-ups are supposed to do.

But you did know about all the Fridays I would leave for school with my overnight bag packed. You didn’t expect me home till the following Monday after school. Almost every weekend. For over a year. What did you think we were doing?

Yes, we did work on his farm. Yes we did haul sawdust, hay and such. But the dark, secret things he did were sick. I didn’t understand it at the time. Because you see, I’d confused sex with love. I was forced to become a woman at such a young age.

He abused me sexually. It’s taken me years of counseling to understand that. He was an adult, I was a girl. He was in a position over me and I was his pupil.

Why didn’t you ever just show up at his house one weekend to see what was going on? Did you even remember where he lived?

Didn’t it seem strange to you both that a grown married man wanted to have young teen girls at his home to spend the weekend?

Why didn’t you protect me?

I forgive you both. I know you would never do anything on purpose to hurt me. But I got hurt. I don’t blame you at all. But you were responsible for my safety and welfare.

I love you both very much. I can’t change the past. Only learn from it.

What is, is.

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your raw and honest heart. I’m sure as a young teen you were looking for someone to rescue you and lead you to protection.  It makes me feel like I need to apologize for the adults around you at that time, but then I wonder . . . how many situations are around me where I’m so busy with my own life that I miss to see abuse and injustice around myself? And surely my mama’s heart cries out — I’m so thankful Jesus reached down and rescued you! What is. is — but I’m thankful you are moving on into an awesome future!

Dear Reader,

Oh, please if you are a parent — watch out for, ask a gazillion questions, pop in and check up on your children, and protect them from harm as well as themselves! Yes, those fiesty teens might get upset. It doens’t matter! It’s our responsibility to guard and protect our children from the ways of the world. This mom says, let those teens be mad all they won’t. You’ll never be sorry for saying NO, but you can be sorry from saying YES!

To grasp this 31day series and to view the previous letters click here.

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