My memories of playing sports as a child are some of my happiest. Sports was an outlet where it didn't matter how much money your family had, or didn't have. It didn't matter whether you were, "cool," or a,"dork." Honestly, I was a pretty screwed up kid as far as social interaction went but, I could play any sport with a fair amount of success and that served as my outlet for acceptance among my peers. I often daydream, and litterally night dream of my time playing ice hockey. There was no more of a freeing feeling than gliding across a clean sheet of ice. For some however, thier youth sports experinces are a nightmare they don't ever want to re-live.
The Sandunsky scandal that has rocked the Penn State athletic communtity is becoming a tiresome repeated news blib. Much like the Cathloic church scandals that brought light to the prevalant abuse by preists on thier alter boys, the Sandunsky trial should send a rippling wave across this country to bring more oversight on those we entrust with our children.
Why does this story happen over and over? Adults who gain a position of authority over a child, and then that position to fullfill thier sexual appetites. Sex, is of course the mechanism by which our species survives. In is't propper context it is a spirtual connecting of two people that serves to procreate mankind. In this twisted time of Mtv and Sex and the city, our society is bombarded with media that uses certain basic themes to push consumerism. One of the most prevalant is the use of, "fear and cosnumption." The basic strategey is simply to make you afraid of some stimuli, i.e. Arab terrorist, and sale you something that will keep you safe from that stimuli,i.e gas masks, bomb shelters, whatever. The driving force I believe is twisting and perverting peoples natural instincts for the objects of their sexual gratification, is the media's use of youth, sex, and cosumption.
Face it, everyday you are sent millions of images that glorify the young. Our T.V. shows like Jersey shore, turn young, sexually immoral, or liberated, depending on your point of view, normal people into icons to be followed. I don't know about you, but I don't want my daughter acting anything like Snooki! Outlandish sexual behavior is rewarded with money and fame. If MTV did a show following young men in Parachoial school I bet the ratings wouldn't fair very well
My point is this. All of this attention on youth, sex, and money has helped to foster an epidemic of adults with a mal-adaptive sense of sexual behavior. Instead of seeking out age appropriate partners, they fantisise about relationships with inappropriate partners. Dateline NBC has made a living off of exploiting men who wander the internet looking for young girls. We as conscienence parents need to wake up and look long and hard at those we trust our children with.
That being said, what drives a person to pursue a positon of authority over our children? Teachers, Coaches, and Couslelors are given almost complete access and trust to kids. Some, hopefully the vast majority, our guided by a desire to help kids reach thier fullest potential. The reality however, is thier probably there for a pay-check. There lies a dangerous situation waiting to happen. When a person charged with the care of our children really doesn't care, the opprotunity for abuse is high.
What signs, if any, are there to spot a potential pettifile among athletic coaches? The scary fact is there is no preset outward signals to tell. The best that can be said at the moment is to trust your natural intution, and trust no one else. never allow a coach to be the only adult with either a group, or especially one on one. some parents might say this un-realistic. They simply don't have the time to be at every practice or game. Fair enough. A simple soloution to this would be a parents association that coordinates so as to make sure thier is always another adult present. Trust no one. Just because a coach might have a child on the team thierselve's dosen't mean thier above suspcision.
To be continued.....How to spot signs of abuse.
