Episode Background:

Dealing with inappropriate behavior from adults in positions of power like Mr. Harrington can be challenging for students like Sarah. Here are some tips for parents and young people on how to handle such situations:

1. Trust Your Instincts: If a situation or a person’s behavior makes you uncomfortable, trust your gut feeling. It’s important to take your feelings seriously and not dismiss them. If something someone says or does makes you feel uncomfortable, it’s crucial to acknowledge those feelings and take them seriously. Ignoring your intuition could potentially lead to further discomfort or harm.

2. Set Boundaries: Clearly communicate your boundaries to the adult in question. Let them know what behavior is unacceptable to you and that you expect it to stop immediately. If an adult, like Mr. Harrington, crosses a line or makes comments that are inappropriate or manipulative, it’s essential to assertively communicate your boundaries. This could involve directly addressing the behavior in the moment or seeking support from a trusted authority figure, such as a school counselor or administrator.

3. Seek Support: Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or counselor about what you’re experiencing. They can provide emotional support and help you navigate the situation. Talking about your experiences will help you gain perspective and validate your feelings of unease. Having a support system in place can provide emotional reassurance and help navigate difficult situations.

4. Document Everything: Keep a record of any interactions or incidents that make you uncomfortable. This can include saving text messages, emails, or writing down details of conversations. It can serve as evidence if the need arises to report inappropriate behavior to authorities.

5. Report the Behavior: If the behavior continues or escalates, consider reporting it to a higher authority. This could be a school administrator, human resources department, or relevant authority figure.

6. Educate Yourself: Familiarize yourself with your rights and the policies in place for addressing inappropriate behavior. This will help you advocate for yourself effectively.

7. Protect Your Privacy: Be cautious about sharing personal information, such as your phone number or social media accounts, with adults who make you uncomfortable. Keep your interactions professional and maintain boundaries.

8. Don’t Blame Yourself: Remember, you are not responsible for someone else’s inappropriate behavior. No matter what, it is not your fault.

9. Communicate: It is important for parents to have open communication with their children and talk about the pros and cons on the internet, social media and apps.

10. Be Up to Date: Parents need to learn about new technology their children are interested in as it appears. It’s tough to keep on top of technology changing at lighting speed but there are resources available. See https://www.missingkids.org/home at the National  Center for Missing & Exploited Children website.

11. All Device Usage is in Public: An under age child and any device such as a cell phone, tablet or laptop in the house must be out in public areas. A child all alone with a device should never be behind closed doors.

12. Know What a Trusted Adult is: A trusted adult listens to you when you have a question or problem, helps you and makes you feel safe. Lastly, trusted adults respect your body and your personal space. Adults who are traditionally thought of as trustworthy such as teachers, coaches and tutors can occasionally be inappropriate in subtle nuanced ways. If a child feels uneasy it is important to trust one’s instincts. An adult asking for a child’s phone number, insisting on only communicating with the student without their parents knowledge, offering something like more time on the field or a better grade, moving from a regular app to one with end-to-end encryption, escalating from communicating from text to video without the student’s parents around. Asking for more. First asking for a number then the teacher calling the student and then asking for a fashion show of Sarah in her soccer uniform.  

13. Emphasize Self Worth: Social media can lower the self-esteem of young people so parents need to empower young people to see their inherent worth and irreplaceable value.