Okay, I finished the book. One of the last chapters is entitled “Should you ever become involved with a sexual offender?” There’s a case study of a mother who has started dating someone and then he tells her that he’s a sex offender and in a treatment program.
My immediate answer to the chapter title, of course, is HELL NO! I cannot believe that ANY parent would even consider getting involved with someone who is known to have abused a child in the past.
I don’t understand people who get involved (or stay) in relationships with people who have been abusive to them or others in any way in the past. But hey—that’s an adult making a choice for him/herself.
But when you’re talking about your kids? No. Absolutely not. Your primary job as a parent is to protect and raise those kids. Making a choice like dating a known sexual offender is just too much.
I think that one chapter got to me more than anything else in the entire book. And no, the author wasn’t in favor of dating sexual offenders—she was very balanced about the kinds of things you’d need to consider, forever. Like the ongoing social, legal, and emotional concerns that would be present even if the offender is truly reformed.
Maybe it’s the fact that I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, but I don’t believe in giving anybody who does that kind of thing any chance. None.
