Category: Consent
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Could My Child be Sexually Harming Another Child?
I spend most of my time talking about how to protect children from child sexual assault, but it’s equally important to focus on children who may be acting out sexually themselves and how parents can support them and find help. You may think this blog post is not relevant to your family, but please consider…
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Daddy, is that your tail?
I remember having coffee with a colleague one morning when she told me her son had said over breakfast, “I think I had a wet dream last night. What causes that?” She didn’t quite know what to say (“Wow, aren’t these Rice Krispies extra good this morning?”), but pulled together a coherent response about hormonal…
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Sitting in Santa’s Lap – Yes or No?
In the past, I’ve been accused of being anti-Christmas, which I can assure you is not true. As you read this post, hopefully you’ll see that it’s not about religion or tradition, but rather a commentary on consent – and how to raise children into teens and then adults, who have learned that they really…
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Manners, Secrets & Sex Ed — Keeping Kids Safer
We are thoughtful parents, friends and relatives, but sometimes we say things that inadvertently contribute to a child’s vulnerability. Here are some everyday examples – and suggestions for how to strengthen communication with children with regard to secrets, consent, manners, sex ed and more. Secrets – “Let’s not tell Mom about the ice cream.” Sometimes…
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3 Tips for Talking with Teens About Consent
With teens, you can have deeper conversations about consent. You can use more abstract terms like “consent” and “exploitation,” and guidelines such as “Trust your intuition” and “Set sexual boundaries.” 1. Teen Body-Safety Rules Talk with teens about these three body-safety rules, and explore examples of coercion, manipulation, and sexting. No one has the…
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How to Talk with Children About Consent
Learning about boundaries and consent is a process that takes place over many years. Here are examples of conversations you can have with your children at different ages. I’ve also included examples of how you can model consent as well. Infant: You’re sitting with a group of friends and family who are adoring your infant…