I was interviewing musicians last year, and met a young 19 year old woman here in Hollywood who told me she had been raped 4 times. The first time was when she was just 12 years old…
It didn’t take long for me to realize why this occurred. At 16 years of age, her mother let her move out of the house and live on her own, because ‘that’s the way “she” was raised.’ So essentially, this child had practically no adult supervision. Her father had died when she was young, and her mother was not much of a mother at all, but rather, simply a body who gave birth to her young, and then, worse than some animals, let her own young go off into the wild– fending for herself at no matter what the outcome. At 12, this young girl had no parents to speak of. Her mother was absent, her father was dead, and she got in a relationship with a young adult who violated the sanctity of her body, mind and soul.
Sadly, she told me that she had trouble speaking with people. I spent about an hour outside in public, coaching her for free not only on the music industry, but on the importance of staying ‘clean,’ off drugs, so that she could maintain her good judgement and be more safe, and to only surround her self with people that were ‘clean’ that had moral values. I think she listened.
1, The first important thing to note in order to keep your child safe in Hollywood, is to be there. Be a parent.
2, Don’t buy in to the mainstream media lie that children should be sexualized and every child and teenager should look like and be a tramp.
3, Know what your child is into, and be their friend, so that they are comfortable communicating with you about anything and everything. It’s better to be shocked by hearing about things from your child or their friends that could happen, before they happen, and prevent them, rather than be shocked about things after they happen, that could harm your child, when it’s too late.
4 Let your child be a child. Don’t try to make them grow up too fast. If they want to play with block or dolls, let them. If they want to be silly, allow them to be silly. Don’t stifle their spirit. Let them have fun. Let them dream. Let them believe in the impossible.
5, Give them hope and encouragement.
6, Don’t tell them ‘no’ all the time. Instead, teach them values and consequences, and teach them right and wrong based on a workable moral principle. Teach them to make right decisions on their own.
7, Teach your child good morals, and be a good example yourself.
8, Teach them to have good self esteem. The better self esteem a child has, the less chance they have of becoming a victim. When one respects and honors them self, they will not be an easy target of abuse.
9, Teach your child how to be true to them self and their own sense of morality.
10, Never leave your child alone, unattended in the entertainment industry; whether for a casting, audition, interview with an agent or manager, acting school, modeling go see, job on set, or anything in the industry. Be there with your child at all times. Have them in your sight. Do not let any entertainment industry exec–no matter how rich, famous, or impressive–ever take your child off away from you behind closed doors! Keep them in your sight at all times. If you can’t be there with them then wait until you can–don’t make exceptions just even once. If necessary, let them wait until they turn 18.
I hope this has helped many of you. For more free information on how to keep your child safe in Hollywood, read this article here published every week, or for specific questions, contact me through this site on the contact button on the top front page. If you know about someone who is a suspected child abuser or trafficker that has not yet been brought to justice, contact The Office of Bruce Edwin directly at 310-226-7176.
If you know a parent with children that could benefit from this information, you are invited to forward this link to them.
This content is ©2017, Bruce Edwin, The Hollywood Sentinel, all world rights reserved.
