Wednesday, March 07, 2007

ALL MEN BE DAMNED!


I’m pissed. I am so pissed that I’m spitting pure venom at anyone and everyone who is getting in my way today. At the core of my anger are men who should know better and a little girl who should have better. A friend of mine was in conversation with an acquaintance of his. The two men were sharing family exploits as I entered the room, sitting down at a table to join them.

The acquaintance shared that he was having a personal problem with his eight-year old granddaughter. The child is caught between warring parents, a messy divorce gone completely awry. Mommy and Daddy share custody of her, shuttling her back and forth two and three times a week. Every other weekend she lives with her father, his brother, three adult male cousins, and an elderly grandmother. The other half of her life is spent with her mother and her maternal grandparents in their family home. The acquaintance told us of an experience where the granddaughter wanted to cuddle in his lap. Cuddling was just fine until the youngster started grinding against his crotch. When he questioned her behavior she told him “men like it when you do that.” He immediately sat her on the floor and told her little girls do not do that to grown men. He also asked her what man told her he liked to cuddle like that. She refused to name names, stating that she didn’t want to get anyone into trouble.

I asked if he had told his daughter. The acquaintance told me no, he didn’t want to upset her. It seems that the last time Mom was upset she slapped her ex-husband with a frying pan and spent sixty days behind bars. The ex-husband had full custody during that time and it took much legal finagling to get the child back. I told him he needed to tell someone because clearly no one is protecting this child. He said he would, eventually. He believed he needed to stay out of it for now. It seems the school has begun to ask questions of all of them. The little girl was caught this week offering sexual favors to the little boys during recess.

Neither man could understand my rage. My friend even had the audacity to say that she was still young enough to get over it. Both men felt confident that it would work itself out, whether the child had to go back to a house full of questionable men or not. Their nonchalant behavior absolutely infuriated me and I told them so. All men be damned!

It could not be my daughter. Daddy, uncle, and cousins would all get slapped with much more than a damn frying pan. And it would be time well served to know my baby girl was safe. After I ranted and raged I left both fools with much to ponder. Then I went home and called the child’s mother, knowing that she can’t battle what she does not know. If the only man who claims to be protective of her won't speak out on her behalf, I want her and her mother to know that there are strangers who surely will.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Deborah,

I would be pissed too, I cannot believe that they would not let the mother know what was going on with her daughter. He should have told her the moment it happened. I think you did the right thing in telling the mother about it. Hopefully the mother can get full custody and get the daughter away from her father, uncle, and cousins.

Tiffany

Anonymous said...

Thank God you informed the mother. Now let's pray she takes action!

MEN!!!!!!!

Janice