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Abuse:

Most of us don't know a lot about Child Abuse - what it is and what results can be. This information is written for young people like you who want to know more. You may be reading this because you're concerned about yourself or about a friend, or just because you're interested in subject.

As you get older, you start making important decisions about relationships with family and friends, school, and health.

How you feel, how you get along with others, and what you want out of life are all very important parts of growing up and living a healthy, happy life. But these are also things that are threatened if you are a victim of child abuse.

You might think, Well, I'm not a child any more. But a person is considered a "child" up to age of 18 in most states; 17 in others.

Even if you are older or you are no longer being abused, abuse can leave a lot of physical or emotional damage. So it's important to take steps to end abuse if it is still happening and to begin to heal yourself emotionally so you can get on with your life.

In pages that follow, we talk about what child abuse is and what it is not. We also talk about some of reasons that child abuse happens and why it is so important for abused teens to get help for themselves and, hopefully, for their families. Then, we talk about how and where to get that help.

We often hear term, "Growing free." These two words evoke a tranquil scene: a youngster skipping through meadows, wondering at beauty of a wild flower and laughing at wind and clouds. The child is never threatened by exterior forces; he lives safe and protected within his childhood. Wishing only to be happy and free, child is permitted to pick and choose his activities.

Most often, child, because he is a child, wants only privileges -- making noise, scattering toys, demanding unequal time. He cares little for responsibility of growing -- making loud noises only out-of-doors, picking up scattered toys, sharing space and time around him. Surely, children must learn that responsibility is twin of privilege. Without first, second expands to undesired proportions; thus, if left untempered, we see irresponsible adolescents and adults.

Today, many adolescents, soon after onset of puberty, find themselves searching for a meaningful relationship with a member of opposite sex. Some take seriously their responsibility to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy, while others become unwed parents or victims of teenage marriage. Both groups, responsibly sexually active young people and "it won't happen to me just this once" adolescent are often irresponsible to their duties in home -- unkempt bedrooms, refusal to help gladly or altogether with family chores. In short, seeing job but not doing it. Again, we hear their demand for mature privileges and their blindness to everyday responsibilities.