Five Things Your Friends Don’t Understand After Your Child’s Been Sexually Abused in Illinois
You are not keeping secrets. You may long for the understanding and support of your friends after your child has been sexually abused in Berwyn, Cicero, or anywhere else in the Chicago area. Your friends may want to support you and your family, but they might not know how because they might not understand what you are going through.
What Your Friends Don’t Know
Right now your every waking thought may be about your child who suffered sexual abuse. Your friends who have, thankfully, never faced similar situations may know that you are sad, but they may not know that you feel:
- Guilty.
- Scared.
- Embarrassed.
- Responsible.
- Lonely.
They might not know that the sexual abuse of your child is all that you think about and that it is difficult for you to think about anything else.
It’s Okay to Let Them In
You don’t want to burden your friends and you hope that they never experience this kind of pain first hand. However, it is important to remember that your friends love you and genuinely want to help you through this difficult time.
Accordingly, it is important to communicate with them in any way that you can. You can tell them each what you need, you can tell one person and authorize her to share your needs with specific other people, and you can share this blog post with your friends so that they have a better understanding of what you are going through.
Do you have any tips for communicating with your friends after your child’s been sexually abused? Please leave a comment and share your tips with others who may be facing similar situations. Your comment may help make this difficult time a little easier for someone else.
