If your child has been victimized by a predator at a daycare facility or has been the victim of some other type of abuse in daycare, expect there to be a long healing process afterward. You can help your child by being there for them and by making sure they understand the following three things:
1. It is not Their Fault
Predators are masters at making children feel as if they are to blame for what happened to them. They break down a child’s self-esteem and use their insecurities as weapons against them. You’re going to have to make sure that your child understands that nothing they did made them deserve the abuse. It’s a good idea to let the child know that they were in no way to blame for the abuse, and that they did not in any way let anyone down.
2. Not Everyone Is Dangerous
Part of the damage that predators do is destroying a child’s ability to form friendships with peers and adults. Make sure they understand that bad people are not the norm. Your psychologist can help you to work through this with them. They may need a lot of companionship from you after they go through an abusive experience and, in reality, you’ll probably want to spend a lot of time with them as well.
3. They are Loved
Predators sometimes make children feel like no one cares for them. When they get children in a position where they feel psychologically isolated, it can do tremendous damage. Isolation and victimization are traumatic for adults; imagine going through it as a child. You have to make sure that they know that they’re loved and what happened to them does not reflect upon them in any way. Again, a child psychologist will have a lot of resources to help you reinforce their sense of belonging and their self-esteem.
A daycare abuse lawyer is a valuable resource if a daycare facility was negligent in their duty to protect your child against harm. They can step in and help you seek financial compensation for the pain and suffering your child and your family has gone through. That compensation can be used to provide resources for your child’s very important recovery.