Our Stories
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TEEN DATING
My relationship with John started off great. He was funny, charming, and sweet. We had only been dating for a couple months when he told me he loved me. I was not ready for that yet but I thought I would lose him if I didn’t say it back. Our realtionship seemed normal back then...but then things began to change. He started questioning my clothing and even told me one time that I looked like a slut. He would get mad if any guy even looked in my direction but I thought his jealousy meant that he loved me. Soon enough I realized it was his way of keeping control over me. He would often make the plans for our dates without even asking me. He didn’t care if I wanted to do the things he chose or not. Then one night he offered me drugs. I tried to tell him NO, but he forced me to try it. Then he wanted to have sex with me. Because…
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TEEN STORY
At the age of 15 years old, I was one angry girl. You’d be angry too, carrying around a rock in the pit of your stomach. One constant thought, “Why is this happening to my family?!?!” Why was I so angry, at my stepfather who has been a part of my life since I was four? At first he seemed pretty nice, and but after a while he got mean. When he would come home in a bad mood I would get really scared. When he was mad he would usually start yelling, then screaming, and then hitting would start(usually Mom). Everyday my entire family had to be ready to adjust to his mood.
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My life was good. I had a job and friends, I was close with my family, my boss had just given me a promotion. Everything was going along as planned.
One night I went out with some friends to the bar.
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My journey was not quick or easy. I went down many paths before finding the right one. My relationship was just like any other in the beginning, loving, caring, wanting to spend all our time together. But things started to change.
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Take the time to fill out the following information and review it with your child often. Having a plan of action in place gives comfort to both you and your child by knowing how they will react in case of an emergency situation.
SAFETY PLAN FOR CHILDREN:
When I get scared I can think about:
When I get scared I can go to:
When I am feeling down or afraid I can talk to:
These are the safe exits from my house:
In an emergency I can:
MY IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS:
My phone number is:
The number for police and fire is:
A neighbor, friend or relative’s number:
 DIALING 911:
- Remember to review with your child how to dial 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. Keep in mind not to use the term nine eleven. Your child may not know to dial two ones!
- When teaching how to dial 9-1-1 explain that this is the number they can dial to get help, but that they are to only use it in case of a real emergency. Give the child examples as what a real emergency would be.
- Explain to children how it is important that they never play around with that number. Give an explanation of how 9-1-1 works by tracking their number and let them know that the police take all calls very seriously.
- Children need to know their name (first and last), address, parent’s names, and their phone number.
SAFETY ON THE INTERNET:
Parents should talk with their children when they set up an intenet access into their home. While children need a certain amount of privacy they also need family invovlement and supervision. Having open communication with your children, using computer resources, will help your children feel more comfortable about approaching you with concerns. A parent should know also where their children may have internet access through; such as a friends house, library or cell phone. Instruct children to not give out any personal information through the web. Discourage them from posting photographs and listing their location online. The web is a wonderful educational piece of technology but should be used with caution.
Please join your child and visit the following site for more information on Internet Safety!
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