The Buddy System
A long time ago, when I was about 7 or 8 years old, my Dad used to take us to see his parents a lot. His parents weren't very nice people. They didn't know how to keep their hands to themselves and they touched children in ways a person shouldn't touch a child.
There was one visit I remember very well. My dad's parents kept asking for one of us to spend the night with them and go to church with them the next day. The thought of any of us staying there alone made me sick to my stomach.
While we were all outside playing in the backyard and the adults were inside talking I called out to my sisters. They came and made a circle around me and I told them my thoughts about staying there.
"I don't like the idea of any of us staying here alone. If we have to stay with them we shouldn't be alone. To be safe, from now on, no one should be alone in a room with them. That way if they try to touch you the other can go for help", I told them.
That was the beginning of the Buddy System. Since then there have only been a few times that bad things have happened and each time there was a buddy there to get help.
