Margie McKinnon's Blog
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Jun.17.2012
One of the most insidious repercussions from child sexual abuse is the harm done to the family of the victim. It is widespread, indirect and unforeseen. The sister sleeping on the top bunk who is awakened by screams and mattress noises, and as a result of her terror later becomes afraid to do...
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Jun.09.2012
I have a young family friend who treats me as if I’m invisible (even though she’s known me all of her life) as she’s incensed that I would put out in the public forum family information that is private. I think she’s referring to my father raping me when I was thirteen. I guess I should have kept...
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Jun.04.2012
Years ago I did my weekly shopping at a certain supermarket, each week running into the mother of one of my son’s friends. Each week the conversation was similar. I would ask her how she was doing and she would tell me, spending the better part of an hour ranting and raving about all of the...
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May.26.2012
On May 10th, The Hindu, a New Delhi, India newspaper reported:
“The Lok Sabha (upper house of the Parliament of India) on Tuesday passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011. The Bill, already passed by the Rajya Sabha, (lower house of the Parliament of India) will protect...
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May.19.2012
Unless you have attempted it yourself there is little hope of understanding suicide. Most think it is a major cop out, someone who lacks the courage to face battles that assail them. Even if you know what those battles are it is still hard to contemplate anyone taking such a drastic measure. After...
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May.12.2012
Here we are at that day of days, celebrating our mothers. Each year I have knots in my stomach as I think of my mother. Mothers are meant to nurture us, to give us love and support, to make us the most important thing in their life. Ideally they are disciplinarians, firm but not harsh, guides...
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May.05.2012
In an ideal world, teen years should include dating, shopping for new clothes, slumber parties, school football games, making new friendships, striving for a 4.0 grade average, the prom and crushes on your Biology teacher. Unfortunately, this isn’t an ideal world. It never has been. For those of us...
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Apr.28.2012
Today’s Wall Street Journal had an excellent and exciting post. It read in part:
“In the wake of the child abuse cover-up scandals at Penn State and Syracuse that rocked the nation last year, Florida has enacted the most expansive abuse reporting law and the nation's toughest penalties for failing...
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Apr.21.2012
I have never perceived myself as particularly courageous, at least not until I got into recovery from incest. I did not think I had the mental and moral strength that it required. The thought of having to bring to light all of those dark days and what ensued during them was so far down at the...
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Apr.14.2012
I grew up in the 50s. While there may have been some tantalizing things back then, rock and roll, cool cars, fun filled dances, the hula hoop and the misleading feeling that all was right with the world, empowerment for women was not one of them. My mother’s motto regarding my father was: “Even...
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Apr.07.2012
Victims of child sexual abuse wear warning signs like flashing lights. Unfortunately most people don’t know what to watch for. A mother might think that her teenage daughter, who has been moody, cries a lot and doesn’t like to be touched anymore, is just going through the terrible teens. A...
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Mar.31.2012
April is Child Abuse Prevention month and the blue ribbon is their symbol. If you have a Facebook page, please put the blue ribbon as your icon for the month of April. It will go a long way towards heightening the awareness of child abuse. And.......please wear a blue ribbon. Our children are our...
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Mar.24.2012
A long forgotten memory crept up unawares this afternoon. I don’t know what set off the plunge into anxiety that followed. Shadows, ones I had put to bed years ago and thought never to visit again, paraded in front of me. Just for that moment I was terrified. I swiftly pulled back and looked at the...
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Mar.17.2012
Once you retire, you no longer have to follow a tight schedule designed to insure arriving at work on time, going grocery shopping on your way home, making sure dinner is ready before 6pm, stay on top of the kids so that they finish their homework by bed-time, throw a load of laundry in the washing...
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Mar.10.2012
My younger sister, as an adult, once made the comment that she wished we could go back to being a child with mom and dad still taking care of us. I viewed this statement with horror. To my sister’s point of view we were coddled and fed, watched over and guided in such a manner as to make her feel...
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“Repair Your Life” is a must read for all survivors of sexual abuse. It should also be
read by friends and family members close to the survivor. Counselors will also greatly
benefit from the book. “Repair Your Life” will give you tools and resources to help you
on your journey of recovery.”
— Reuters Review written by Paige Lovitt for Reader Reviews (4/08)
About Margie
I am the founder of The Lamplighter Movement, a rapidly growing international movement for recovery from incest and childhood sexual abuse. Our website is at www.thelamplighters.org. As of January, 2013 we have 92 chapters in thirteen...
Connections
Causes Margie McKinnon Supports
American Cancer Society, Catharsis Foundation, National Alliance to end Sexual Abuse, Darkness to...
Margie’s Favorite Books
Gone With The Wind, War and Peace, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Books You Read, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential People In History, Faces of...