Caring Heart: A Good Boyfriend

Dating brings special challenges for children whose first exposure to male-female relationships may have included abuse. Not only does the child's self-image put them at risk, but risky relationships are sometimes the most familiar to them.

A Good Boyfriend

This one is ore like it.  Finally she is showing some respect for herself.  She is expecting to be treated well instead of exprecting to be mistreated and accepting it.  I was worried that she was just going to repeat what she saw as a child.  I feared that she had so little self-confidence that she thought it was okay for the others to have treated her so badly.  Okay to be watched. Okay to be controlled. Okay to be dominated, even to be hurt. I was so fearful for her, God.  I could not seem to get through to her.  But this one at last is a different one.  He is thoughtful.  He listens to her.  He encourages her to stand up for herself, even when she disagrees with him. Help her to continue to set high standards for herself and those who love her.  Thank you for keeping her safe until she was strong enough to keep herself safe.  Help her continue to value herself.  


Excerpted from "The Caring Heart Speaks: Meditations for foster, kinship, and adoptive parents" by Gail Underwood Parker     Artwork by Anna Parker David from the book cover.