Don’t Let a Pedophile Larry Nassar Happen to Your Kid

A very recent blog I published titled “15 Year Old’s Naked Photos Spread Like Wild Fire” is now of on the most clicked blogs on my site. It has significantly increased my websites traffic. But, scarily, for all the wrong reasons. The “15 year old naked pictures” part of the title is attracting skeevy pedophiles to my blog. Hi there pedophiles! Go jump off a bridge, your sucking up too much air!

You know Larry Nassar; the sick creep who worked as the doctor for USA Gymnastics. With up to or more than 156 victims, he was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and he was ultimately sentenced to 40 to 150 years in prison. 150 years isn’t enough. I hope prison is as horrible as him.

One study says as many as 1 in 35 men could be pedophiles. Some studies suggest that the prevalence of pedophilia may be between 3% and 5% in the general population. That’s the WORLDS population. What this means is pedophilia, while horrible and not right, is “normal” in the sense that it’s an inherent human behavior that people are born with. It always has been, is, and always will be a human trait.

Nassar began working with gymnasts more than 40 years ago when he was an athletic trainer as a student. He graduation from the University of Michigan with a kinesiology degree, and in 1986, he joined USA Gymnastics. He went on and received a degree in osteopathic medicine from Michigan State, and by 1997, he was the team physician for USA Gymnastics and became an assistant professor. He kept both jobs until his evil crimes were revealed.

How can you keep your kids safe from the Larry Nassar’s of the world? Here’s some tips:

Believe them When They Try to Tell You About Abuse

Many parents were told that Nassar was being abusive to their children, but they didn’t believe them at first. Some people still don’t believe that Nassar is guilty, too. People like Nassar are often charming and manipulative and are great at making people believe they are innocent.

Anyone Can Abuse

To most people, Nassar was always caring and kind, and this is what he showed the community and the parents of his victims. Don’t believe it.

Abusers Do Their Best to Win the Trust of Their Victims

Nassar did all that he could to make his victims and their parents trust him. He saw them socially, and even went to their homes.

Reach Out to Police Immediately

If something does happen to your child, reach out to your local police department as soon as you find out. Don’t let this continue happening. The police, unfortunately, don’t always take children seriously, so make sure that you don’t let them push your accusations aside.

Reach Out to Journalists

Consider reaching out to journalists about the case. The first reports of any abuse done by Nassar was actually posted in the Indianapolis Star in 2016. Not only does this help other abused kids from speaking up, it also helps to have the skills of an investigative journalist on your side. If the media hadn’t heard whispers of Nassar’s crimes, he might still be out there abusing kids.

Teach Your Kids to Speak Up

Most kids are taught that they need to treat adults with respect and not to question them. However, when an adult does something bad, it’s important that you also teach your kids to speak up and tell you when something seems weird.

Good and Bad Touches

Finally, but most importantly, teach your kids good and bad touches. I know most parents don’t even begin to know how to start this conversation. But the fact is, there are people in all our lives who seek opportunities with kids. Have uncomfortable conversations that tread lightly on the topic and gradually increase the frequency of this dialog so you know your kids understand. A quick search on Youtube for “Good and Bad Touches will provide you with excellent examples you can use to inform both you and your kids. The nonprofit Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Foundation in conjunction with Wonder Media has developed a national campaign on a child abuse awareness and prevention. Check them out.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.