Parenting Pointers: Teaching Kids About Inappropriate Touching

It's important to teach kids to advocate for themselves, even if they're in situations where trusted adults or those in authority make them uncomfortable. One of my friends works for a Rape and Abuse Crisis Center and teaches their curriculum which uses familiar colors of red and green to indicate touches that are ok and not ok. It can be hard to get this information across in an age-appropriate manner, and also to make sure not to make kids feel like they've done anything wrong if they have been touched inappropriately. So make sure you have conversations with your kids about what's ok and not ok with the way other people handle their bodies.

The book I Said No! A kid-to-kid guide to keeping your private parts private can provide a great way to start the conversation. The book covers everything: what's not ok, when it is ok (doctor's office), what to do if it's a trusted adult - even what to do if it's a parent or loved one. It's written in simple language, and contains prompts that make it easy to continue the dialogue beyond what's in the book. The book is written by a mother and son pair after the son's "not so good" experience at a sleepover, who wrote the book to help him process the feelings after the experience. It's definitely worth the read - and it's an important issue to discuss with kids of all ages.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book to facilitate this review.