Ask Dr. Helen: Should Men Be Kicked Out of the Church Nursery?
The formal situation here is difficult simply because it is not at all clear that the objective is to protect the children. My read is that the Church is trying to put in place procedures which will radically reduce its liability. Not the same thing at all. And if that is the case then it would make sense for the bishop to make that crystal clear. “No hard feelings but our insurer has set down the rules.”
Now, informally, the entire sexual abuse hysteria has made many men, including me, rethink our willingness to volunteer for everything from coaching to teaching. I am unwilling to be cast in the role of potential child molester as part of a screening process to become a soccer coach.
I don’t think there is a real solution for this and noting that women abuse too really does nothing to help. No parent wants their child abused by anyone. However, short of eliminating all non-family events from a child’s life, there will always be a, one hopes tiny, chance of abuse. And, even in happy family land, the range of “funny uncles” and “nasty cousins” is astonishing.
To a small degree a parent can work from the other side encouraging their children to report uncomfortable situations but that is fraught in the sense that children perceive the world in somewhat opaque ways. And, worse, by the time the situation is really uncomfortable the abuse may already have happened.
