Perks of Being a Wallflower -- Aftermath.

Perks of Being a Wallflower -- Aftermath.

I sat down with my wife the other night and watched a great movie called The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I fully recommend anyone see this excellent movie. After watching it, I was left in deep thought. Deep to the point of tears that couldn't be held back any longer as a discussion began. It has been a long time since a movie has forced true and honest emotion to spill from the tip of my pen.

These tears weren't caused by my own terrible memories manifesting, but rather for a very different reason. I thought about all of those around me who have suffered innocence-robbing situations in their childhood and adolescent years that nobody should have to be a part of. While my imagination is strong enough to imagine with rich detail the events and situations people are faced with, I will never know in my heart the hatred and inability to work through the pain.

The current statistics are scary. "1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys under the age of 18 are sexually abused" (Teenhelp.com, 2013). By the numbers, that means that there is a statistical chance that one of my three daughters will suffer through the unimaginable. As a father, that terrifies me. As a human, that saddens me.

Luckily, I was fortunate enough to make it through my childhood unscathed, but at times an odd sense of survivor's guilt sets in, as if I somehow missed a ricocheting bullet. It's not that I feel envious or jealous. I don't feel as if something should have happened to me. But perhaps if something terrible would have happened, I would be better qualified to offer words of advice to those who had no choice.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower forced me to consider the 'whys' behind it all. Why was I spared? Why didn't anything happen to me? Why do I deserve peace where others have none?

I would like to take this opportunity right now to thank my parents for providing a home for me that allowed my innocence to remain fully in tact. I love both of you, Mom and Dad, for protecting my siblings and I and shielding us from certain evils in this world. For doing for us what countless parents fail to do for their children. For allowing us to escape unscathed save for the scars of a normal, boring childhood.

I can't stress enough how important it is that we do everything in our power to protect our children from harm. They need us to be the shield, the blanket, the band aid that keeps them innocent.I promise that my three daughters and my son will suffer nothing more than the same boring upbringing as I did.

If you know anyone who may find this article useful, please do not hesitate to pass it along.

Daniel Wagner.

[Thank you Mom and Dad] for allowing us to escape unscathed save for the scars of a normal, boring childhood.