Dating Abuse

Imagine coming home from work and you go to your teen’s bedroom to make sure that she has done her homework. You knock at the door, and she is on the other side begging you not to come in the room. You demand for her to unlock the door. Finally, after several minutes of trying to force your way into the room, she unlocks and opens the door. To your surprise she has a black eye and a bruised arm. You wonder if she was in a fight at school today and you begin to ask several questions. She says that it is nothing and that you shouldn’t be worried. Of course, it isn’t that easy to just walk away knowing that your child has been physically hurt. But you decide to give her space and let her sort things out on her own.

Many parents go through traumatic scenarios similar to this all the time. You may be surprised that one in four teenage girls will be in an abusive relationship with a man; and 95% of these girls will never ask to be helped. Many young girls who grow up in single-family homes are vulnerable to have somebody love them the way that their missing parent should have. Many teenage girls with absentee fathers often search for love in other places by becoming promiscuous and willing to have sex with random men in order to find this love. However, some girls fall in love with the first guy who gives them attention, even if the end result is abuse. There are an astounding number of teenage girls who are being controlled and or abused by their boyfriends even before they are able to get out of high school.