but the SOB got into my head and there's no way that any sort of pervert/child contact is beneficial. It messes with a kid for years. That is probably the best description of what happens. It isn't the physical aspects, it's the internal mind games, the loss of trust and safety etc that destroy a child. I mean, the world is suddenly full of monsters and no one is to be trusted.
Exactly.
This will sound really stupid and irrational coming from a 44 year old woman, *but*, every time I get involved in discussing this topic, the "forever 10 years old kid" inside me worries that now something terrible will happen to my dogs or my parents.
Why?
Because I spent 5 years having that "threat" instilled in me, should I ever be so stupid as to "tell".
Even in relative anonymity and decades afterward, the threat still has a voodoo-like power.
I can count on 1 or 2 fingers the people I absolutely, positively trust.
If that's not killing a kid, it's the next best thing.