8, 9 and 11

According to the Associated Press, three boys ages 8 and 9 were being held Monday in a detention center on charges of kidnapping and raping an 11-year-old girl in the woods near a suburban apartment complex.

There are a lot of "alleged"s floating around in the story but whatever facts ultimately come to light this is heartbreaking. And I can't honestly think of a better, potentially more tragic, example of why parents desperately need to be involved in their kids lives AND to start having conversations about sex, sexuality, respect, boundaries, and relationships as soon as their kids can talk.