I think some reasons could be:I do wonder about the family dynamic when the child doesn’t tell their mom about what is happening. I have three daughters and we have DRILLED into them the concepts of consent, unwanted touching and always being able to tell anything to a safe adult (ourselves and we asked each kid to name one safe non-parent). I don’t want to come across as victim-blaming, I genuinely wonder, in cases like this, why the child doesn’t go to their mom. Do they see their mom happy and not want to ruin this, is the grooming such that it “sneaks up” - or most horrible - do they say something and it’s gets ignored or brushed under the rug? I also very much appreciate those of you on this thread who have shared about their “unsafe” homes - my heart goes out to each of you. Every child deserves a safe home!
ETA - I guess I am just wondering about the dynamics of THIS family. Did Madeline have siblings, an active bio-dad, grandparents. How long was mom with this “Life-partner” (which gives me the possible ick of trying to make a boyfriend sound more serious). There is so little information to draw from.
* They don't truly know it's wrong, especially if they've been abused from a very young age
*Threats -of violence, making mom upset, loss of lifestyle, etc.
*Embarrassed
*Petrified of what the person will do to them if they told (absence of any spoken threat)