FAMILY ISSUES | THE NARRATIVE ARC
Being Groomed By a Predator
A childhood memoir
It was years later I realized I had been groomed. When I was about fifteen, we had family friends. Our families met when we were members of an antique car club. My father and the father of the other family worked at the same factory. We hung out at family events, my parents and three siblings, and the other family.
The other family consisted of a mother, a father, and three children. The oldest son was about my age, then there were two other siblings, one of which hung out with my youngest sister who is five years younger than me. We went for dinner at their house, and they came for dinner at our house. It was a lovely, desirable relationship, it seemed.
I don’t really remember how or when it started. I have since learned groomers are careful and smart. They are good at gaining trust and eluding detection. At the time, I knew something was wrong and I felt shame. A married, grown man who was probably twenty to thirty years older than me was paying attention to me. We would share glances, he would compliment me. I would find reasons to hang out with him at family get-togethers. Even now as I write this article, I feel such a sense of shame. I should have realized. I feel slutty, knowing I wanted this attention from a grown man.
