"Keep Your Hands off My Daughter!"

As a 16-year-old teenaged boy, I had one father I met when picking up a girl for a date who said exactly that to me. He sounded like, and looked like, he meant it, too. I did keep my hands off his daughter, but we only went out on that one date. He put the fear into me.

Of course, he probably only meant it sort of rhetorically, but said it to scare me away from getting physical with his daughter, which is something that teenaged boys and girls often do together. It was enough, though, to prevent me from starting any actual sort of relationship with her. He sounded like he might just come after me if the two of us fooled around with each other. Maybe he meant it seriously, or maybe he didn't. It wasn't worth the risk, it seemed to me at the time.

Perhaps the fathers of Catholic children are going to have to say something similar to their parish priest from now on. "If you ever touch my son or daugher in the wrong way, Father, you will have to answer to me for it. Do you understand?" I'm guessing that most potential predator priests would seek different victims, than that father's children.

What a shame that such steps might need to be taken by a parent of a child who will be interfacing with the local priest! And yet, it appears that some such warning might need to be given.

Maybe putting the fear into the minds of parish priests is now necessary. A shame, that is, I think.