Just to bring you all up to speed....
The day before the bite marks appeared on her neck, difficult child had come home from school in an unusually good mood. My "Mommy Instincts" immediately though "Uh-oh....difficult child must have a new boyfriend."
So the next day when we saw the marks (originally thinking they were hickies), I figured my suspicions about a new boyfriend were confirmed. difficult child had refused to give up too much info about how the marks got on her neck--other than he was a friend who rode her bus.
Then when our nurse friend saw them and said those marks aren't hickies, they are bite marks--we immediately put all the clues together (The vampire lore, the razor blades, the band-aids, wearing long gloves to school, constantly keeping a ribbon or scarf tied around her neck) and figured that difficult child must be involved with taking the vampire game a little too far.
We alerted the school guidance counselor and vice principal--who began an investigation. difficult child denied being "into vampires" at all...says that's not her thing. Downplayed the marks on her neck. Did not implicate any other students. Did not indicate that anyone had been inappropriate with her....just that she had been playing around with a friend.
Another student came forward as a witness to having seen a boy bite difficult child on the neck, but didn't know the boy's name and didn't indicate that the incident was an "assault" or an "attack".
The school doesn't believe difficult child's story about not being "into" vampires, so they are continuing to investigate.
Today, difficult child had an appointment with her regular therapist....
therapist called to notify me that difficult child is now explaining that the bite marks are the result of an "assault" and that this boy has been sexually harassing her for weeks....not only in words, but touching and grabbing her inappropriately.
So--it looks as though difficult child is prepared to accuse this boy of sexual harassment and assault....most likely to divert attention from her own involvement in anything inappropriate.
I feel sick to my stomache....
The day before the bite marks appeared on her neck, difficult child had come home from school in an unusually good mood. My "Mommy Instincts" immediately though "Uh-oh....difficult child must have a new boyfriend."
So the next day when we saw the marks (originally thinking they were hickies), I figured my suspicions about a new boyfriend were confirmed. difficult child had refused to give up too much info about how the marks got on her neck--other than he was a friend who rode her bus.
Then when our nurse friend saw them and said those marks aren't hickies, they are bite marks--we immediately put all the clues together (The vampire lore, the razor blades, the band-aids, wearing long gloves to school, constantly keeping a ribbon or scarf tied around her neck) and figured that difficult child must be involved with taking the vampire game a little too far.
We alerted the school guidance counselor and vice principal--who began an investigation. difficult child denied being "into vampires" at all...says that's not her thing. Downplayed the marks on her neck. Did not implicate any other students. Did not indicate that anyone had been inappropriate with her....just that she had been playing around with a friend.
Another student came forward as a witness to having seen a boy bite difficult child on the neck, but didn't know the boy's name and didn't indicate that the incident was an "assault" or an "attack".
The school doesn't believe difficult child's story about not being "into" vampires, so they are continuing to investigate.
Today, difficult child had an appointment with her regular therapist....
therapist called to notify me that difficult child is now explaining that the bite marks are the result of an "assault" and that this boy has been sexually harassing her for weeks....not only in words, but touching and grabbing her inappropriately.
So--it looks as though difficult child is prepared to accuse this boy of sexual harassment and assault....most likely to divert attention from her own involvement in anything inappropriate.
I feel sick to my stomache....