Here’s the thing…<\/p>\n
As long as we are on this earth, there will always be sexual deviants. \u00a0There will alway be an uncle or cousin or brother \u00a0that will try to get in to your pants or feel you up.<\/p>\n
If you are lucky, you won’t have a “family member” do this. \u00a0Yet… more often than not, most woman (and yes, many men) can unfortunately say this has happened to them.<\/p>\n
Growing up, I now know that this was the experience that many of my friends had. \u00a0No one ever talked about it. \u00a0It seems to be the consensus that if we don’t talk about it, it will go away.<\/p>\n
In university, I remember that night I told my roommate and girlfriends that it happened to me. \u00a0Then someone else in the room said it happened to them. \u00a0Most of us did not tell anyone… until we were older, much older.<\/p>\n
Mine was a family friend of my dad’s. \u00a0A dirty man. \u00a0A doctor. \u00a0A husband and father. \u00a0My sewing machine wasn’t working… so he was going to look at it. \u00a0My room was right by the living room where everyone was. \u00a0His wife was there, in the kitchen with my mom. \u00a0His daughter, a babe was sitting on my lap.<\/p>\n
He told me that he couldn’t see the eye of the needle, could I thread it. \u00a0Next thing I know, his hands are under my shirt. \u00a0He was \u00a0feeling my breasts, that were still developing. \u00a0 I remember feeling the hairs on my head stand up. \u00a0What that heck was he doing? \u00a0Why? \u00a0What do I do?<\/p>\n
My mom called out for me. \u00a0Never have I been so glad for kitchen work. \u00a0The rest of the visit was a blur. \u00a0How come I felt dirty? \u00a0How come I felt ashamed? \u00a0Bastard.<\/p>\n
Here’s the funny thing… that really isn’t so funny. \u00a0My girlfriend had a very similar experience. \u00a0That bad man ended up being her mother-in-law’s brother. \u00a0Her mother-in-law is in absolute denial. \u00a0No one talks about it. Everyone pretends…<\/p>\n
Why is it so hard for us to hold these bad people accountable? \u00a0Why do we put people on pedestals? \u00a0The mother-in-law can’t imagine her brother doing something so dirty. \u00a0Or maybe she can’t imagine standing up to this filthy human being.<\/p>\n
The ones that end up being ostracized is my girlfriend and her family, since they refuse to every be in his company.<\/p>\n
Is that weird? \u00a0Is that weird that this mother-in-law is so little a person to take a stand? \u00a0Yah, I would say so. \u00a0This woman is not one that I would respect.<\/p>\n
It makes me mad that my girlfriend and family are on the outs while the company is there. \u00a0I really have tried to be understanding but I don’t get it. \u00a0I have tried to put myself in her place… if it was my beloved brother… and my daugher-in-law came and told me that he touched her… what would I do?<\/p>\n
Well, first of all, let’s not belittle that it was simply inappropriate \u00a0touching. <\/em> It was wrong. \u00a0Obviously, or why else wouldn’t he sit there and grope her in front of his wife? \u00a0If this was my brother, I would confront him. \u00a0I would slap him up side his head. \u00a0I would not listen to denial. \u00a0I would tell him to apologize. \u00a0I would make sure that my daughter-in-law was always first. \u00a0My brother would not be invited if it was something that made her uncomfortable.<\/p>\n OK… this makes me mad. \u00a0 See, my girlfriend and family will be excluded from a family event because no one is willing to stand up.<\/p>\n I hate that we just pretend that these things don’t happen. \u00a0How are we going to teach our children to stand up… to report wrong… if we don’t empower them to do so. \u00a0I really hope that I, my generation of parents, can and will take a stand to correct a wrong doing.<\/p>\n I pray that my boys are never violated in any way. \u00a0I pray that they grow up to be good men, that respect women and children. \u00a0I pray that they have the courage if ever needed to face evil rather than run away from it.<\/p>\n I pray for those women that deal with the memories of being betrayed. \u00a0It sucks. \u00a0I wonder when we are going to stop protecting those bad people because it could be embarrassing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here’s the thing… As long as we are on this earth, there will always be sexual deviants. \u00a0There will alway be an uncle or cousin or brother \u00a0that will try to get in to your pants or feel you up. … Continue reading