There’s never a shortage of news stories about someone in a position of power or authority who has physically, emotionally, or sexually abused a child or an adolescent in their care. We’ve seen it in schools, churches, sports organizations - anywhere adults are in charge of young people. 

And for all the high-profile cases, there are thousands more that perhaps involve fewer kids or a not-so-famous organization and still more than go unreported. 

When one of these stories come to light, our questions are always the same. How did this happen? Why did these kids not say something? Why didn’t they tell someone? Why didn’t they ask their parents for help? 

I believe the answer’s pretty simple: it’s because we’ve taught our kids to keep their mouths shut. We’ve taught them to “respect authority”, to “obey their elders”, to “not talk back”, to “do what they’re told”...and by doing so, we’ve put them at great risk for harm. 

Join me this week as I examine how we can change the narrative with our kids about “respecting authority” to do a better job of keeping them safe from predatory and abusive adults in positions of power or trust.
 
 Show Notes and Transcript

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