The holiday season is upon us, and our kids are about to spend A LOT of time around people who they may not have seen for a long time due to Covid 19 restrictions — family, extended family, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, and total strangers. They will be in amongst groups of people at family gatherings, Christmas parties, carol nights, NYE celebrations, camping grounds, parks, swimming pools, beaches (or ski resorts if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere), shopping centres, cinemas, etc.
We cannot stress enough how important it is for your children to be educated in Body Safety and Consent, especially at this time of year!
Tips to help you keep your kids safe especially during the holiday season
1. ENSURE your child is educated in Body Safety and Consent. That is:
• They know they have a personal body boundary and no one has the right to enter it without their consent.
• They have 3 to 5 trusted adults on their Safety Network.
• They know never to keep secrets that make them feel bad or uncomfortable.
• They know to tell a person on their Safety Network if someone does touch their private parts, asks them to touch their private parts and/or shows them pictures of private parts, and to keep on telling until they are believed.
2. BE WATCHFUL of who your child spends time with. If your child is not willing to go with certain people or does not wish to hug or kiss them — listen and respect their wishes.
3. EVEN though it will be busy amongst the happy celebrations, be aware of any out-of-characteristic changes in your child’s behaviour and keep that ‘parent radar’ tuned.
4. BE PROUD that your child is educated in Body Safety and display the My Body Safety Rules poster on the fridge to let everyone (including potential predators) know of this fact!
5. WATCH the 'My Body Safety Rules' animation with your child and discuss.
6. READ our Body Safety and Consent books (see list below) before the holiday season begins to reinforce and consolidate your child’s Body Safety and Consent skills.
Our books about Body Safety and Consent:
From our Little BIG Chats series (for 2-6 year olds):
The Gift of Body Safety and Consent
This year give your kids:
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the gift of confidence, in knowing what to do if they feel worried, scared or unsafe
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the gift of being able to recognise what is inappropriate and unsafe behaviour, and what to do if it happens to them
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the gift of understanding what consent means and what rights they have, especially in relation to their own body
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The gift of being their trusted adult who they can tell anything to, and they will be believed
Give yourself the gift of peace of mind, knowing you have done everything you can to help keep your kids safe and happy.
