owlshark

Hi there! First, amazing job putting the asshole in jail and getting the help your family needs. But, a cautionary note: I was molested as a child. There was no penetration at all, just a 'feeling up' moment. (That I remember. Traumatic Memory Loss makes things a little fuzzy.) But, even though at the time it was just a weird and yucky thing, I ended up developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder along with a good amount of other anxiety problems. I'm actually on anti-depressants right now that are working wonders for anxiety and OCD. But, I'd still keep an eye on her. These things are really, really hard to diagnose in kids and I certainly wouldn't medicate her while she's young, but I really wish I had gotten therapy early on because I let it go too far and it got a lot worse than I ever wished it would have.

Good luck in the future, though you sound like you have a clear head on your shoulders and won't need it. =)

I definitely feel that the violation of trust was a huge, huge role in what issues I developed later on in life. It was not by a family member, it happened in a school environment. That completely and totally screwed up feeling safe anywhere for me. I'm doing a lot better now, but it's a lot to deal with. Especially for a child.