My Friend's Being Abused ...

Dear Dee:
I just found out one of my friends is being abused by his parents. I don't know what to do and neither does he. He's pretty much my best friend and I don't want him getting hurt anymore than he is. Can you help me?

This is heavy information for you to carry, especially when you care about your friend the way you obviously do. I wish I could give you all the answers to make this abuse stop, but I can’t do that.

All I can do is tell you to continue to be a good friend to him, talk to an adult you trust about what is going on and if you’re comfortable with it, call a few of our domestic abuse hotlines to get some answers. The people on the other end of the hotline phones are trained to help you get your friend some help.

You’ve already taken the first step and since you know this is going on, you can definitely get him some help by talking with a trustworthy person -- whether a school counselor, teacher or whomever. I wish you the best and am thankful your friend has you looking out for him.