Letters to the Editor
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stop the vitrol!
Raider is right! The odds of one of our children being molested (especially by a stranger) is very low-especially if we are fortunate enough to inhabit the middle or upper middle class.
Parson Jim- the big threat you are looking for is poverty. If you are a low income single parent (male or female), you are much more likely to leave your kids alone when you shouldn't because you can't afford day care/subject your kid to substandard daycare because good daycare is expensive/or move in with an unsuitable partner because he/she appears to add stability to the home. Ironically, adding a male step-parent or boyfriend to the home is the single biggest risk factor for sexual abuse-especially for girls.
Now, please don't get your knickers in a twist. Most stepdads/boyfrieds DO NOT molest. I know lots of step-dads (and step moms too) who should be in contention for sainthood.
The thing that disturbs me most about the last two posts is the characterization of the feminist (or feminazi as we all seem to be here) agenda with regards to men. The implication seems to be that feminist women want to marginalize men-keep them away from the kids. This is contrary to every conversation that I have had with feminist women friends over the past 20 years. We WANT, WELCOME, AND VALUE involved dads and grandpas, uncles, and cousins. From my prerspective, it seems to be the conservative agenda that wants to relegate child-rearing back to women's work.