Page 190 - The Intentional Parent

for the bath or for bed. Reinforce that your children can talk to you about anyone who makes them feel funny or uncomfortable, even if it is someone like an uncle or a grandparent. Parents should be aware that the majority of child molestations occur by someone who is not a stranger, but someone who knows the child and/or the family.
Parents should, however, talk to their children about avoiding strangers and should teach them to scream as loud as they can and run away from anyone who touches their private spots or who asks them to touch or look at their private spots.
DEALING WITH SEXUAL CONTACT FROM AN ADULT
I have a six-year-old son who just told me that three months ago, at summer camp, a seventeen-year-old camp counselor showed him his penis and asked him to touch it. My son wouldn't do it, and evidently the counselor got worried and left him alone, but warned him that he would be hurt if he told anybody. Could this experience have damaged my son? What action should I take?
First of all, the camp director should be notified immediately. This is probably not the first time this counselor engaged in this behavior, and unless he is confronted and stopped, it will not be the last time. Speak to the police about pressing charges against this young man. What he did was serious, and unless action is taken, he may more seriously abuse another boy.
With regard to any damage done to your son, I would take him to be evaluated by a child abuse specialist, just to make sure he's OK. Chances are the experience will not permanently damage
The Intentional Parent by Peter J. Favaro, Ph.D. 190