01/03/2026
Key takeaways for parents:
⢠Start teaching children about their bodies from a young age and use the correct anatomical terms.
⢠Teach rules about bodies, not who is safe. No one, including other children or trusted adults, should touch a childās private parts outside of health or hygiene, and even then it should be named and never secret.
⢠Help children understand the difference between safe touch vs unsafe touch and that secrets about bodies are never okay.
⢠This education should never be used to control or instill fear. Children who fear their parents are more likely to keep harmful secrets. Children who trust their parents are more likely to speak up.
Unfortunately, abuse can begin as early as infancy and is most often perpetrated by someone the child knows and trusts, including biological parents. Working as a trauma specialist has shown meāover and over againāthat safety education must protect children regardless of who the unsafe person is.
Many parents delay these conversations because they feel taboo, awkward, or uncomfortable. Historically, society has avoided talking about this. But silence does not protect childrenāopen, age-appropriate conversations do.
The reality is that systems meant to protect victims are imperfect and often fail. The long-term impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) is profound and lifelong. Prevention starts at home, with body autonomy, open communication, and removing secrecy.
I donāt expect this post to get a lot of engagement. Topics like this are often avoided. But seeing this video felt like my sign to speak on this publicly & create a series of educational material.
More educational content coming. šš½