The thing is, my dance teacher reported my boyfriend for statutory rape.

Put yourself in her shoes, says our elder, and take the high road. And for sure, keep on dancing!

Dear EWC

Hello. Gotta start off with a thank you! So thxx bunches and I truly appreciate this. To start things off, I’m a beginner dancer. I had just started a few months ago and was completely in love with the dance. I live in a small town. There is one studio in town that teaches dance. That’s part of the back story. I am also in a relationship with a man 12 years older than I am. He is 30 and I am 18. We met when I was 17 and have been together ever since. I like to think him and I have a long future ahead of us. My dance teacher had heard I had been dating this older man and she had reported him to the authorities for statutory rape and exploitation of a minor. Now at the time I was still 18. This caused a lot of trouble for him (he is in the army) and he was being investigated. He is still out and now I feel very negative emotions towards my dance teacher. I feel as if she exaggerated the situation and almost cost someone I loved freedom. I want to continue dancing but I’m unsure how to go about this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Mama-Joan replies

I understand why you are upset with your dancing teacher. But, take a moment and put yourself in her shoes. I imagine she takes her position as a teacher seriously and feels she has a responsibility to look out for the girls she teaches. You’ve heard the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, your teacher is part of your village. She may have jumped to the wrong conclusions where you and your boyfriend are concerned, but surely you can see that she had your best interests at heart even though she was a bit zealous. My mama-advice is to not develop an “attitude” toward your teacher. Instead, appreciate that she cares about you and genuinely thank her for her concern.

By all means, continue dancing! Invite your boyfriend to pick you up after class and introduce him to your teacher. I’m assuming he’s a good person, so the more exposure your teacher has to your boyfriend, the more comfortable she’ll be with your choice. You won’t be sorry if you take the high-road and treat your teacher kindly — and continue dancing! Good for you!

I hope this advice is helpful. Please write again any time.

Letter #: 432218
Category: Self-Improvement