Rating:

4.0 (1 vote)

Tonight I received a horrible phone call from my brother. My niece and 3 of her classmates were outside during gym class at Widefield Elementary School, when a couple of Widefield High School boys came over from the soccer field, exposed themselves to the girls and told them to "suck them." I cannot even tell you the emotions I felt as my brother described what happened to my sweet, innocent 10-YEAR-OLD niece! Anger, frustration, shock just to name a few!

The next thing that happened made me more proud of my niece than I ever have been...she RAN. She ran directly to her gym teacher and pointed the boys out who did this! The police were called. I am proud of her and her friends for not talking to the boys or giving them the satisfaction of saying anything. I'm proud of her for not hesitating in telling the nearest adult and pointing the boys out immediately. I'm proud of her for knowing that what happened was wrong. I'm proud of her for talking to an adult, even though the other high school boys were calling the girls "snitches" and "taddle tails."

I am beyond angry that a couple of punk high school boys thought it was ok or funny to do this. I'm not sure if they understand the repercussion of their actions, which could go as far as jail time or being listed on the sex offender list for the rest of their lives. I wonder if anyone ever talked to them about it, but it's too late now. I'm sure they thought what they did was funny, but my niece and her friends were terrified. They are 10-years-old for goodness sake!

I am not so naive to think that my niece and her friends don't know about male and female genitalia, or that they don't know about sex, but these girls were victimized today and their innocence stripped by a couple of high school kids wanting blow jobs.

My family is trying to figure out what to do and how to proceed, but the parents, the high school, and the police were notified immediately.

Please make sure to talk to your children (of all ages) about how to react if they are approached by a flasher, exhibitionist, or attacker of any kind. Here are some tips from the Colorado Springs Police Department:

1. Teach your child who is a stranger (anyone they don't know).
2. Don't let a stranger get close to you, talk to you, or give you anything, unless you check first with the adult in charge.
3. ALWAYS check with your parent or the person in charge of you before going anywhere or getting into a car-even with someone you know.
4. If a stranger tries to grab you YELL "you're not my mom!" or "you're not my dad!"
   
5. If a stranger tries to grab you TELL AN ADULT! A parent, a grandparent or a teacher are good people to tell. Discuss people you know who you can tell.
6. Say NO if someone tries to touch you or treat you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable or confused. ALWAYS tell your parent or a trusted adult.
7. Impress upon your child that the police are their friends. If the child is in trouble, tell them that they may go to the police. Teach your children how to identify a police officer, or other people they may go to for help (firefighters, postal workers, security guards, teachers, store clerks, etc.).
8. The police should definitely be notified and given a description of the individual. Focus on remembering details of the person's face and any identifying marks seen when the individual is clothed, so police can find the person.

Teen safety expert, Dallas Jessup, says, "You should...treat it as a likely assault situation and get yourself out of there rather than waiting to see if something escalates. Women typically wait too long to take action, like running; we teach them it's much better to play it safe."

Children need to practice:

• How to stand and walk with awareness and confidence.
• How to keep a safe distance from someone approaching them.
• How to walk away from a stranger without talking or hesitating even if that person is being very nice.
• How to make a plan for getting help if they need it.
• How to make noise, run, and get to safety in case of an emergency.
• How get assistance from a busy or insensitive adult.

What would you do if this happened to your child? Have you talked to your kids about "Stranger Danger"?