Before helping your child get dressed, ask, “Can I take off your pajamas?” And wait for consent. Say to your toddler, “Can I pick you up?” Wait for their acknowledgement whether it is with body language or words. Teaching consent can start at a very young age by modeling consent. How about blowing her a kiss or giving a high-five?” Empower your kids to say no if someone tries to touch their body in a way they don’t like.ģ. If you are worried about hurting the feelings of the other adult, you can say to your child, “That’s okay, your body belongs to you, and you can decide if you don’t want a hug or kiss today. Don’t pressure them to give hugs and kisses to grownups when they don’t want to. Do they like to be tickled? Do they like hugs? From whom do they like hugs? Maybe they like them from Mom and Dad but not from a certain grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling. Talk with your kids about what touches they like and don’t like. Putting this idea into practice at an early age can prepare them for healthy relationships as tweens, teens, and adults. We want kids to know, “Your body belongs to you!” With young children it is important to teach them that because their body belongs to them, they get to choose who touches their bodies and how and where they touch them.
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And in the event of inappropriate touch, being able to use anatomically correct words helps the child be specific when reporting to parents or police.Ģ. Conversely, using euphemisms to describe private parts can promote the ideas of shame, discomfort, and embarrassment about bodies. Using the anatomically correct terms of vagina, vulva, and penis can promote positive body image, self-confidence, and parent-child communication.
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We want kids to know that their private parts are for them and off limits to others, but we also want them to know what they are and be comfortable talking about them. However, even before this comes up in conversation, there are a few things parents can put into practice with children and teens that will help set the stage for this discussion.ġ. Whether your child hears the word rape in the news, reads it on the internet, or sees it on one of our materials, there are age-appropriate ways to talk to your child when he or she asks about it.