LIFESTYLE | parenting Womanthismonth.com 74 September 2023 Body Safety Rules For Kids As they say, knowledge is power, right? And as parents, we teach our children about water safety and road safety. We make sure they wear their life vests; know that they must hold our hands and look both ways before crossing the street, and to never touch a hot stove. But are we taking the time to incorporate body safety into our parenting conversations? I understand, it’s an intimidating topic to discuss. What should I say? How should I say it? I can’t even imagine anything bad happening to my child—it’s too scary to think about! These thoughts are common, but avoiding the conversation won’t do anyone any good. Keeping an open line of communication can make a world of difference in your child’s life. 1. Teach your children the proper names of their body parts. As soon as your child begins to talk, name each body part correctly including the genitals. Explain to your child that their ‘private parts’ are the parts under their bathing suit. Note that a child’s mouth is also known as a ‘private zone’. Avoid the use of pet names to describe the genitals. This way, if a child is touched inappropriately, they can clearly state where they were touched. 2. Make sure there is a clear understanding of the word ‘private’. Explain the terms ‘private’ and ‘public’ and stress the fact that ‘private’ means ‘just for you’. To create a correlation, you could perhaps share an example of how a toilet is a private place, exclusive to you when in use, but the kitchen is a public space because it is shared. Relate these terms to both spaces and body parts. 3. Explain to your child who they should talk to if they feel unsafe. Teach your child that no one has the right to touch or ask to see their private parts, and if someone does, they must tell a trusted adult straightaway. As your child becomes older (3+ years) help them to identify three to five trusted adults that form their ‘Safety Network’ who they understand that they could tell anything to and they would be believed. Body safety skills can be taught throughout your child’s life by including the topic as part of daily conversations. Here are seven steps you can follow: As parents, there are several conversations you need to have with your child – the concept of ‘privates’ and inappropriate touching being an important one. This could be a tough subject to approach, but parenting columnist, Ouiam El Hassani, tells us how to address it in a way that your child fully understands the concept and is able to keep themselves safe.
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