Oh, and a follow up comment regarding Alexandra's posts.

Sexual play does happen with kids. It's natural. But play can become exploitive and hurtful, especially when there's a significant age difference.

This is where I personally happen to fit. I was sexually molested by an older boy for a period of years. It was a game he introduced, that I was excited to be a part of, but that I was told I must keep secret. I went through incredible guilt, regret, shame, etc. It's also caused some life long sexual identity issues.

So I would caution against posts in this forum that dismiss all child to child sexual contact as harmless. It's not always harmless and posts like that could discourage people who need help from telling their stories here or generally reaching out.

Finally, I disagree with the idea that significant numbers of people are labeling themselves as victims of sexual abuse as an explanation "for everything" as you put it or for some odd ploy for attention. The abuse victims I know tend to be very secretive about their histories and work very hard to feel normal.

Cyran0