Strawberry Letter

Date: 07/11/2007Subject: Concerned MotherGood Morning Steve and The Morning Crew, I am writing this letter because I sincerely don’t know what to do, and usually I have an answer for everything. I am a mother of a 12yr old girl who has a classmate that has been molested by her father. The girl turned up pregnant and her own mother took her to have an abortion but has not done anything in reference to what has happened to her daughter and the father is still in the house. The girl confides in my daughter and told her that her mother has nothing to say to her anymore. My daughter came home and told me that her friend urinated on herself in class today and that also she now stays to herself not wanting to be bothered with anyone. Well my problem is that my daughter is looking to me for advice. She is having a hard time trying to understand how can your father do this to his daughter and why your mom do not have your back, especially at a time like this. It is almost like the mother blames the daughter instead of the father. My daughter wants to know should she tell someone in authority to help her friend, because her friend refuses to tell anyone and has sworn my daughter to secrecy. She told me because I questioned her because I could tell something was bothering her. Now she talks about this situation almost everyday and constantly ask questions, I guess trying to understand the whole thing. But as her mother I did reassure her that IF ANYTHING LIKE THIS EVER HAPPENEND TO HER she would lose both parents because her father would be dead and I would be on my way to jail. So since her classmate's mother does not think on the same page as most real mothers (putting your child first) I am left to help my child make probably the most important decision in her life this far. Should we tell someone in authority to help and risk losing her friend, or keep her promise not to tell and keep a friend? Sincerely a Confused Mother