A Mother's Reaction to the Penn State Tragedy

Some people, especially non-mothers, laugh at me for my over protectiveness. They call me a '' and tell me to relax–my kids will be fine and I'm doing a great job. They tell me that I can't stop life from happening to my children. Well, I think and know that they are wrong and the recent headlines from are proof. I have to protect my children because no one else will.

I first heard about the Penn State uproar on Facebook. There were several debates going on among my 'friends' and they were very heated. There was shame and embarrassment, there was anger, betrayal, and a feeling of abandonment. The Penn State alumni couldn't believe that their college could do any wrong. Their heroes went from god-like to social pariahs overnight. There were prayers for the victims.

Of course, Facebook doesn't give the whole story so I had to read what had happened on several news sites and the grand jury report. Once I read about what happened in those locker rooms at Penn State, I decided that pariah wasn't an accurate enough word to describe the devil. Sandusky is the devil and every single person who allowed him to continue walking free on this earth is a devil's advocate.

My heart breaks for those boys. I can't imagine the pain and suffering they have endured because no one stood up to help them.

As a mother, I especially sympathize with the mother of victim number six. In the report it states that her son came home from an outing with Sandusky with wet hair back in 1998. When she questioned her son about his wet hair, he admitted to her that he took a shower with Sandusky. The mother, with the police evesdropping, made two phone calls to Sandusky confronting him about the shower and his behavior. She asked him about hugging her son and washing him. She asked him if he had sexual feelings for her son.

I can't imagine having to make those phone calls. I can't imagine the rage that the mother must have felt. After two phone calls, where Sandusky admitted to taking showers with other boys, Sandusky was let free with a warning not to shower with boys ever again.

Can you imagine, as a mother, knowing that after all that, this man would be free?

As a mother, I see the devil everywhere and I know that no one is going to keep that devil from my child but myself. Constant diligence. That's a mother's motto.

Recently I was at and was accutely aware that a man was staring at my children. I left the area and he didn't follow. I didn't feel threatened, but I was aware of my surroundings.

A couple of years ago I took the boys to park in Havertown. It's one of the best parks in the area but it is off the road. When we pulled in, we found that it was empty of children and parents. There was a lone minivan with a man reading in the front seat. I pulled the car around and we headed to instead.

Times have changed. When I was a kid I lived for Saturday mornings. I would get up, get dressed and run out the front door without looking back. First stop was to my friend's house for cartoons. After that we would play for hours at the school down the street, playing on the playground and crawling through the huge pipe that ran under the street from one side to the other with the stream. We would make mud pies down by the train tracks, where our backyards met up with the R-5 line.

There are no more Saturday morning cartoons, there will never be pipe crawling for my boys and last, but not least, I don't really see my boys running out the door without me knowing exactly where they are going. Those days seem to be gone.

Instead, I find myself lecturing my boys. From inappropriate touching to lecturing my kids on guns, I feel like their childhood is just not as fun. No wonder kids spend more time in front of the television these days, it's the safest place for them to be.

What happened at Penn State is a tragedy and I'm horrified for those children who had to suffer alone because no one would truly see and stand up for them. It's our job as parents to stand up for our own children, but as adults with a conscience, we should stand up for all children.