GROOMING DOESN'T ALWAYS FEEL DANGEROUS.
At first, it may feel like:
Attention.
Friendship.
Romance.
Mentoring.
Gifts.
Someone listening.
Someone meeting a need.
Finally feeling understood.
That's part of what can make grooming difficult to recognize, not only for the person being groomed,
but for the people around them.
GROOMING IS NOT A NEW CONCEPT
Although the word grooming is heard more frequently today, the behaviors we now recognize as grooming are not new.
The term has been used for decades to describe a process in which someone gradually builds trust, gains access, lowers boundaries, and prepares another person for abuse or exploitation.
Long before smartphones and social media, grooming could occur through families, schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, churches, sports, romantic relationships, and other trusted environments.
Technology didn't create grooming. It created new ways for grooming to occur.
The methods and platforms may change, but the manipulation of trust, relationships, needs, boundaries, and access is not new