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Boundaries are the limits we have about how we let others change our lives. Boundaries can be something simple like telling a person, "No, I don't want to take that gum from the store because that is stealing" or "No, I don't have time to go to the movies because I have a big test tomorrow". Having strong and good boundaries means we can limit how we let other people treat us. If we are in a situation and uneasy about how to set a boundary, we can always ask an adult we trust to help us with this because this is an important skill we can learn by practicing.
With abuse, sometimes kids don't have good boundaries developed yet or even if they do an adult can overpower them, talk them into things, and ignore the child's right to safety. In these cases, children can really be harmed and feel like no one can help.
This idea of telling someone is very important. Everyone has a right to feel safe and comfortable in their home and in every area of their life. Of course sometimes we feel afraid or uncomfortable like going to a new school, trying out for band, making a new friend. But this kind of uncomfortable is part of life and we learn to get through these things and come out feeling good about ourselves. When a person sexually or physically abuses another person, this kind of uncomfortable or unsafe should not have to be tolerated by anyone. Telling about the problem helps us have good boundaries for ourselves.
If you are being abused or you think that what you are experiencing is abuse, talk with an adult that you know and trust or contact the ChildLine and Abuse Registry by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania 1-800-932-0313. If you feel that it is in an emergency situation, call your local law enforcement immediately.
If you would like to talk with someone on-line, log onto TeenCentral.Net a
great new interactive website for teens that's totally anonymous.
TeenCentral.Net was crated by KidsPeace, The National Center for Kids
Overcoming Crisis and teens like you. The TeenCentral.Net program is
completely confidential and focuses on issues important to teens. It
presents real-life stories of teens who have faced and dealt with similar
problems, offers positive suggestions for working out problems, and points
to other resources for additional help.
TeenCentral.Net
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