A few years ago I was talking with my close friend Michelle*. Our daughters have also been good friends for years and I noticed that one of the male workers in our church youth group had been making comments on her daughter’s Facebook page. This struck me as odd because I have a rule that my daughters cannot have adult male friends unless they are family, but no teachers, and VERY few youth workers.
The person commenting on the Facebook page was the same youth worker who was ALWAYS around kids, drove the church and school buses, sat with kids in church, was single, and never was seen around other adults, only kids. Also, his Facebook comments were not just occasional, they were nearly every day. Then my daughter shared with me that this man, who I will call Kevin*, was also texting her friend on her cell phone. My warning bells immediately went off.
I was very troubled and concerned, enough so that I finally went to my friend and said, “Michelle, I’ve noticed that Kevin really seems to be having a lot of contact with your daughter, doesn’t that concern you?” She laughed and said, “Oh, you’re so funny!” I replied, “No, I’m serious. That should concern you. He is a single male worker and should not be holding conversations with and send sending texts to little girls!” Again she just laughed and completely blew me off.
Now this man may be a good guy, but what if he is not? This parent has given him the perfect opportunity to hurt this child by her blind trust.
*Not their real names.
I understand my parents should have protected me your doing the right thing