It's the End of The World as We Know It
It is time. If you believe the contents of this entry can help someone you know and love, by all means link to it. I'm leaving it exposed for public view for that purpose, to help. Pass the information along and remember it CAN happen to you.
My daughter, C., is a beautiful fifteen year-old girl, interested in boys and skateboarding. She enjoys rock music, walking to the beat of her own drum, and surfing the net. She used to frequent Yahoo chat rooms and has made friends around the globe. She is also the victim of an internet predator. This is our story.
In the course of a year, one child out of five will be solicited by an internet predator or pedophile. One out of 33 will be asked to meet their predator or to engage in phone conversations with them. Only twenty-five percent of these children tell their parents. Shocking statics aren't they? These children are not nameless, faceless others. They are your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews. They are the kids down the street and your children's playmates. How many times have you opened the newspaper to read about a youth murdered by someone they met on line and thought it couldn't happen to your child? You've taught your kids internet safety and about the dangers of chat rooms. There is no way they are in danger. Maybe you don't own a computer and think your children are protected. The world we live in today is much different than the one of our youth. Children have access to the internet in schools and libraries. I'm here to tell you it CAN happen to you. I was one of those people until roughly two weeks ago when the walls of denial crashed down around me. All it took was one email from the FBI.
Today's parents not only need to teach their children about the dangers of strangers outside the home, but of those lurking inside our homes as well. Our children are being raised in the age of technology. They are exposed to a vast wonderland of knowledge via the internet. Unfortunately, they are also exposed to intelligent predators who prey on their innocence.
I taught my children the dangers of the internet. I explained to them not to take others at face value and to stay clear of chat rooms. They were taught not to give their phone numbers, addresses, ect. to people they met on the net. My computer is not hidden away in the bedroom, but it is located in the kitchen where their activity can be monitored. Even with these precautions, my daughter became the victim of an internet predator. I was clueless the abuse had taken place and my daughter did not tell me. Her predator claimed to be a teenage boy. He listened to her problems and told her his own. When he felt he had her trust, he persuaded her to do things she would not normally do. When his requests became more bizarre and his behavior more erratic, she changed her screen name and didn't contact him again. She never told me. I didn't find out until I was contacted by the FBI.
I cried. Then I blamed myself. I was one who purchased the computer. I was the one who bought the web cam and provided internet service. I was the single mom who worked second-shift instead of being at home with her kids. I gave the predator the key to enter my home and take my daughter's innocence. My daughter is still a virgin and yet I feel she has been raped. I am still dealing with the anger and disbelief.
The good news is that my daughter's attacker was caught. There was no trial. He entered a guilt plea two days ago. In April, he will be sentenced. If I had it my way, he will never be allowed to own a computer again and will spend an eternity in jail. I want him to experience the embarrassment and pain my daughter has suffered. Not only did he view her, he recorded her actions and shared them with other pedophiles. She has the knowledge that countless others have witnessed her indiscretions. Part of me wants to ask him why. I want to understand why he choose my beautiful girl and how he could hurt her. I also want him to know what he has done, not only to her, but to my family. I want justice.
Please read my story and protect your own children. My daughter's attacker used Yahoo and Yahoo messenger to perpetrate his crimes. Monitor your children's computer activity. Password protect your PC so they can not access it when you are not home. Teach them to stay out of chat rooms and not to accept messages from people they do not know in "real life." Share with them our story and let them know there is a one in five chance it can happen to them. I don't want another child to experience what my daughter has gone through. If this story saves at least one child then it was worth my time to share it.
My daughter, C., is a beautiful fifteen year-old girl, interested in boys and skateboarding. She enjoys rock music, walking to the beat of her own drum, and surfing the net. She used to frequent Yahoo chat rooms and has made friends around the globe. She is also the victim of an internet predator. This is our story.
In the course of a year, one child out of five will be solicited by an internet predator or pedophile. One out of 33 will be asked to meet their predator or to engage in phone conversations with them. Only twenty-five percent of these children tell their parents. Shocking statics aren't they? These children are not nameless, faceless others. They are your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews. They are the kids down the street and your children's playmates. How many times have you opened the newspaper to read about a youth murdered by someone they met on line and thought it couldn't happen to your child? You've taught your kids internet safety and about the dangers of chat rooms. There is no way they are in danger. Maybe you don't own a computer and think your children are protected. The world we live in today is much different than the one of our youth. Children have access to the internet in schools and libraries. I'm here to tell you it CAN happen to you. I was one of those people until roughly two weeks ago when the walls of denial crashed down around me. All it took was one email from the FBI.
Today's parents not only need to teach their children about the dangers of strangers outside the home, but of those lurking inside our homes as well. Our children are being raised in the age of technology. They are exposed to a vast wonderland of knowledge via the internet. Unfortunately, they are also exposed to intelligent predators who prey on their innocence.
I taught my children the dangers of the internet. I explained to them not to take others at face value and to stay clear of chat rooms. They were taught not to give their phone numbers, addresses, ect. to people they met on the net. My computer is not hidden away in the bedroom, but it is located in the kitchen where their activity can be monitored. Even with these precautions, my daughter became the victim of an internet predator. I was clueless the abuse had taken place and my daughter did not tell me. Her predator claimed to be a teenage boy. He listened to her problems and told her his own. When he felt he had her trust, he persuaded her to do things she would not normally do. When his requests became more bizarre and his behavior more erratic, she changed her screen name and didn't contact him again. She never told me. I didn't find out until I was contacted by the FBI.
I cried. Then I blamed myself. I was one who purchased the computer. I was the one who bought the web cam and provided internet service. I was the single mom who worked second-shift instead of being at home with her kids. I gave the predator the key to enter my home and take my daughter's innocence. My daughter is still a virgin and yet I feel she has been raped. I am still dealing with the anger and disbelief.
The good news is that my daughter's attacker was caught. There was no trial. He entered a guilt plea two days ago. In April, he will be sentenced. If I had it my way, he will never be allowed to own a computer again and will spend an eternity in jail. I want him to experience the embarrassment and pain my daughter has suffered. Not only did he view her, he recorded her actions and shared them with other pedophiles. She has the knowledge that countless others have witnessed her indiscretions. Part of me wants to ask him why. I want to understand why he choose my beautiful girl and how he could hurt her. I also want him to know what he has done, not only to her, but to my family. I want justice.
Please read my story and protect your own children. My daughter's attacker used Yahoo and Yahoo messenger to perpetrate his crimes. Monitor your children's computer activity. Password protect your PC so they can not access it when you are not home. Teach them to stay out of chat rooms and not to accept messages from people they do not know in "real life." Share with them our story and let them know there is a one in five chance it can happen to them. I don't want another child to experience what my daughter has gone through. If this story saves at least one child then it was worth my time to share it.