Debated whether or not to ask about this, probly too nosy. But curiousity is killing me.
What was your early education about awareness/prevention like? I know when I was being brought up, it was non-existent in my community.
When it came time to raise my kids, I started having talks with them right around the time they could conversate (age 4-ish). Looking back, I think I kind of muddled my way through it more than anything.
It's fine, I really don't mind talking about it. I actually prefer to share my stories so people might understand more, and talking through my trauma is beneficial to me.
This actually turned into word vomit about all of my sexual assaults, so fair warning to anyone reading.
I was also molested when I was three, and there were classes and therapy and shit I went to after to learn about "bad touch" and all that shit. So I had a fair amount of education as far as that's concerned.
But this dude when I was older, brainwashed me. It probably didn't help that I was the weird kid with no friends, plus I'm autistic so things don't always connect right away. But he pulled this whole "you're my true love" angle and was super manipulative and shit. When I broke down and told my mom two years later when I finally figured out what had actually happened, she took me to the police station that weekend to file a report, so kudos to her for not being one of those "no, my friend would never do that" moms. The cops basically refused to press charges even though I really fucking wanted to, because "it had been too long", but they did at least put him on the sex offender registry.
Seriously, though, fuck those cops. I wanted to take his ass to court. But that set a precedent for me that the cops aren't going to help me in such cases. When a friend assaulted me a couple years ago, I didn't tell anyone, I just stopped attending Renaissance Faire altogether so I would never have to see him again. When I was raped this summer, I didn't bother reporting it, I just went to Planned Parenthood and got tested. They were very nice and understanding. It also took me two days to put the "rape" label on what had happened, even though I knew that I didn't want to have sex with him, said no multiple times, and even kept scooting away as he tried to penetrate me, it wasn't until I caught myself acting the way I had when I was being molested that I put two and two together and realized that it was rape. Honestly, I wonder how many women who "change their minds about sex afterwards and call it rape" are in that same situation.