A book that is a MUST for EVERY Parent!!

I told you in my last blog that this year at Take Back the Night I got to hear Norman E. Friedman speak about teaching our children to protect themselves from sexual abuse and how my mother bought me his book; well I have now read it all and really want to encourage every parent, grandparent, guardian, caregiver of children to get it and read it!! I didn't know this at the time but while they were selling the books at Take Back The Night 50% of all sales went towards VIP!! I think that is really great! I wish I had the money at the time to buy a copy for all of my friends and family! I would still love to do so as the book is something that teaches us how to teach our children how to protect themselves and to me you can't put a price on that!!

Even though I was molested as a young child on up through my teen years, and know how important it is to teach children the difference between right and wrong, I didn't know how to teach my daughter the normal good touch, bad touch. I didn't know where or how to start and just hoped that by being very protective over her that nothing would ever happen to her. I am so happy and thankful that I was given the book "Inoculating Your Children Against Sexual Abuse!" I now know how to teach my girls about the "NO TOUCH ZONE", and things to do to help them protect themselves. The lessons in this book are something that every child should learn and every parent needs to teach in their homes!!

"Inoculating Your Children Against Sexual Abuse!" is a two part book. Part one is for parents, caregivers, or anyone who is responsible for a child's safety is any way. It talks about how to pick up on signs of a predator and gives you some facts to many of the common myths about childhood sex abuse. These facts ring very true and are scary. There is also a letter in the book that was written by a child molester to Ann Landers which goes on to tell how a person who is a child molester is never "cured" and how you wouldn't be able to tell him/her apart from anyone else in a crowd. I have never believed that a person can be "cured." I've had friends who have had boyfriends who have hit them and they think that they can "fix" the guy, but I've never seen it happen. Now I've never gone back to see my father and have no desire to, but I'll tell you one thing I don't think his 5 or 7 years in jail did anything! I would never let my children around anyone who has been convicted or even suspected of hurting a child!!

Part two of the book is the most valuable part of the book, in my opinion. This part of the book goes on to tell the parent how to teach children how to keep themselves safe. And it starts with teaching children from age 18months up. The way Mr. Friedman writes the steps and lessons is easy to understand and makes a lot of sense. After reading the book, it seems like common sense but yet it's not how many of us think of things.

Please if you're a parent, or know someone who will become a parent/gaurdian then go out and get the book "Inoculating Your Children Against Sexual Abuse!" It's a book that you can't put a value on having and learning the information, take it from someone who has gone through childhood sexual abuse, it's something you never want any other child to go through and while my life is now good it's something that stays with you forever. I'd do anything I could to make this world a world in which no child would ever know the pain that I have; a world in which every child grew up safe and innocent.

I want to take a moment now to send out my biggest "Thank You" to Norman E. Friedman. Thank you for writing this book!! I'm sure it has helped many parents, families, and children. I know it's one of my most valued books for teaching me how to protect my daughters from facing the same hurt I've had in my past. My mother when she bought it for me said, "It may be 25 years too late for me but it's not for you." I know my family wishes they had the book 25 years ago but the fact of my abuse is that I don't know if it was something that could have been prevented as it was done before I was 5 years of age, by my own father, the one person in the world who should do everything possible to protect you was the one who hurt me. I don't know the reason, I assume money, but for whatever reason my father's parents got coustidy of me, even if my mother, aunt and rest of the family had read the book there was so much fear in my grandparents house that I would never had told anyone. And I didn't tell anyone of what was happeneing until after I was out of the house. I don't think anyone ever would think that the person they married, loved and had children with would ever hurt thier children in that way, parents are supose to be protective! I think that Norman's book should be a staple given out at hospitals after given birth. I think that it's lessons and "instruction manual" gives ways to help children protect themselves and a way for them to feel safe and tell parents about anything that is going on with them. Norman, with what I've gone through, and I know that sadly I'm not the only person as a child to have been abused by a parent, I wish there was a way for the other parent or someone else to notice. If you have any words of advice or anything about this please share it, for myself I was always afraid of having kids until I met my husband. He truely is a great man who I have no concerns about at all. I know that unfortunatily not all woman are as lucky...

I still have a lot more to say thank you to Mr. Friedman for....Thank you for all that you have done in helping children! Not only your book which I'm sure has helped many, but for all your work with children. For those of you reading this that don't know Norman E. Friedman has a long history of careing for and treating children with serious emotional problems, as a educator, counselor, and mental health professional. He has more than 50 years in helping survivors professionally, and had spoken to and taught many organizations, camps, and people who work with children. I know after hearing him speak how much of an impact and help he has been. Thank you for your commitment to protecting our children, and for helping them overcome their past!!

Thank you for taking time to come to Take Back The Night in my town and speaking! What you had to say really reached out to everyone that was there! I only wish that more people had come out that night to hear you talk! I love how your shared personal stories and gave us all very important lessons in how to teach our children to protect themselves!! Your speaking was very empowering, and hopeful to everyone there.

Thank you also for donating 50% of the sales of your books that night at Take Back The Night to VIP! That means so much to me personally that you weren't selling your books for profit yourself but to help such a great organazation who has not only helped me but many other people in our community!

Now a note to all who are reading this, if you ever get a chance to attend somewhere where Norman E. Friedman is speaking, GO! You will take a lot away from what he has to say and will learn invaluable lessons on how to protect our children from abuse. If you haven't done so already, then please get his book!! Read his book, and buy it for your friends and family! Pass the lessons your learn in the book on to all other parents and your children!

I hope that one day we will not have to worry about the safety of our children, I hope that one day the world will be safe for all that there will be an end to violence to all men, woman, and children, that abuse of all types will be non-existant. Until that day comes we have to do ALL that we possibly can to protect ourselves and our children, which includes being educated on these topics, aware of people who have commited these acts, and to speak out against it!!!