Dear Suzie,
I’m 16 and two years ago I met and fell for someone on the internet who turned out to be a rapist. When i found out i stopped e-mailing him but he continued to e-mail me. After a year the e-mails started getting threatening. And last Christmas he sent a death threat. I told my parents and after a week or two of begging they contacted the police. Ever since then my parents have been picking at me and giving me spiteful comments over it. They think it’s just a joke and just laugh at me. I’ve tried to tell them how i feel but they just see it that i won’t join in the joy but every time they do it its like another whole in my heart and i’m desperate. I start my exams in two weeks so need to sort it now. Can you please help me?
Thankyou
What a horrible thing to have happened to you. But I do wonder what your parents were thinking about. Did they not believe you? Sometimes, parents want so much to protect their children that they can’t bear the thought they might have let you down. They may have refused to contact the police because they didn’t want to recognise the danger in this man and the very real fear and upset he caused you. To do so would have meant they would have also faced up to the fact that they hadn’t protected you from him.