Childhood Sexual Abuse / Question
Published: December 10, 2003
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am a 12-year-old boy, my mom hires this baby sitters and he comes on Friday nights when my parents work late. He likes to fondle me and do things for his own pleasure. I am not sure what I should do. I will feel embarrassed and guilty for telling on him.
Signed: Baby Sitter Does Things For His Own Pleasure
Dear Baby Sitter Does Things For His Own Pleasure,
TeenHealthFX is glad you wrote in for help. We want you to know that embarrassment and guilt are tools that other people use to control their victims and keep them quiet. What you must remember is that a person who was put in a position of trust, abused that trust for his own sexual gratification.
You need to tell your parents or an adult you feel comfortable talking with, what has been taking place, as soon as possible. You have done nothing wrong. The baby sitter has a sickness and probably will not stop until he is caught. Telling your story is a way of protecting yourself and starts the process of learning how to heal from this awful experience. It may help you to print this question and answer out and bring it to your mom or whomever you choose to help you get through the difficult part of telling about what this babysitter has been doing to you.
Counseling would be a good idea to help you sort through the myriad of emotions you must be experiencing. There are therapists who are specially trained to help victims deal with sexual trauma. Family counseling often accompanies the individual sessions since sexual trauma has a tendency to affect everyone in the family.
If you need help finding a therapist in northern New Jersey you can call the Access Center From Atlantic Behavioral Health at 888.247.1400. Outside this area you can contact Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) at
1-800-656-HOPE (4673), 24 hours, 7days a week.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
It is estimated that major depressive disorder (MDD) affects about 5% of adolescents, and that between 10 - 15% of adolescents have some symptoms of depression at any one time.
