Ask a Question Friday: Reporting and Institutions
This week’s question, two days late. Joelle, how do scandals in places like Penn State and the Catholic Church start? I mean, these aren’t bad people in these institutions, right? Will new policies by...
View ArticleNaughty Twitter Feed? Say Adios to that scholarship, my friend!
Talking to teenagers about their social media presence can be a drag. But if you have a teen and that teen is online, talking to your kid about his or her “online presence” can make the difference...
View ArticleAsk a Question Friday: My kid is too young for prevention education
Joelle, you constantly stress how important it is to “armor” your child against abuse from as early as infancy and toddlerhood. I don’t agree. My child is too young to know about sex. Why do you insist...
View ArticleBook Announcement
THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD: A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO PREVENTING ABUSE has found a home (before it ends up in your home and the homes of all of your friends). The manuscript has been accepted by the Greenleaf...
View ArticleYou asked. We listened.
You’ve been bugging me for years. So now you can all clam up and put your money where you mouth is. YES, MY SON. WINE IS ONE OF THE FIVE FOOD GROUPS, the definitive collection of my humorous Facebook...
View ArticleAsk a Question Friday: How can I learn more about the Survivors’ Movement
(Note: Yes, I am actually posting this on a Friday. Shocker.) How can I learn more about the Survivors’ Movement and SNAP, that organization with whom you do so much work? Is there anywhere I can...
View ArticleMcDonald’s Fatal Marketing Flaw and How to Fix It
I know that this blog post is totally off topic. But bear with me. Think about this: When you want a hamburger, does an ad for oranges, milk, and yogurt entice you? What if the ad also tells you to...
View ArticleDo you know the signs of child sex trafficking?
I didn’t … and note: these children can be as young as 11 From today’s OC Register (emphasis mine): Though there isn’t a single background or profile that describes all those girls, summit presenters...
View ArticleThe Total Failure of Shattuck-St. Mary’s
A boarding school. Naked dance parties. Child pornography. Molestation. An arrest. A suicide. Allegations. Lawsuits. A cover-up. Total institutional ethical failure. When I first heard about the...
View ArticleShattuck-St. Mary’s Part 2: The choice
In 2003, Headmaster Nick Stoneman had a choice. His drama teacher had been found with child pornography on a school computer. This same teacher—Lynn Seibel—had admitted to being complicit in “Naked...
View ArticleShattuck-St. Mary’s Part Three: Inside the mind of a predator
I give you two predators: One fictional. One real. The similarities will stun you. “It’s very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl,” he went on. “But I was...
View ArticleAmerica’s embarrassing drunk uncle: Kanye West
We all have one: that embarrassing drunk uncle. You know, the guy whose only claim to fame was that caught the winning football pass to win the state football championship in 1981. That guy with...
View ArticleA question about adult victims
I am currently reading SPLIT: A CHILD, A PRIEST AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH by my friend Mary Dispenza. Abuse memoirs are usually a tough read, but Mary discusses her life with grace and respect—very...
View ArticleAn epidemic of child sex abuse in our public schools
There’s a banner that hangs outside of Costa Mesa’s (California) Whittier Elementary School. Its slogan— Children are our first priority—is a painfully ironic reminder of one of the biggest problems...
View ArticleGiving the “Compassionate Response” to the adult victim of child sexual abuse
If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive. - Brené Brown, Daring Greatly One of the most common emails I get is from people who say,...
View ArticleThe Well-Armored Child is chugging along
I just got the cover design for THE WELL-ARMORED CHILD. Everything is on track for my September publication date!
View ArticleWhen the sheep smell a rat: A message on Zero Tolerance
In his Holy Thursday message, Pope Francis told priests to embrace a “good and healthy” tiredness by spending engaged time with the faithful and doing the “real work” of a priest. From Reuters: The...
View ArticleBullying prevention workshop April 29
Remember: Bullying is abuse. It’s a crime of power, just like child sexual abuse. I hope you can join us in Costa Mesa, CA this April 29.
View ArticleOh, how quickly we forget, or: How the OC Register gave Bishop Vann a pass
So printing a brochure is what passes as “help[ing] the healing process.” This past Sunday, the Orange County Register published a front page story on Orange Bishop Kevin Vann. The focus of the article...
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