Safety Tips For Parents

Sexual abuse is a difficult subject for most people to discuss, and especially difficult for parents to discuss with their children. But as frightening as the topic may be, sexual abuse is a serious and, unfortunately, common problem that affects both boys and girls. In most cases, the person who sexually abuses a child is an adult or older child known to the victim, often an authority figure that the child knows, trusts or loves. The offender usually uses coercion and manipulation, not physical force, to engage the child. Tips for minimizing your child’s risk of being sexually abused include:

• In early childhood, parents should teach their children the appropriate names for their private parts, just as they teach their child names of other body parts. This teaches that while private parts are private, they are not so private that you can’t talk about them.
• Parents should teach young children about the privacy of body parts, and that no one has the right to touch their bodies if they don’t want that to happen. Children should also learn to respect other people’s right to privacy.
• Teach children early and often that there are no secrets between children and their parents, and that they should feel comfortable talking with their parent about anything — good or bad, fun or sad, easy or difficult.
• Be aware of adults who offer children special gifts or toys, or adults who want to take your child on a “special outing” or to special events.
• Enroll your child in daycare and other programs that have a parent “open door” policy. Monitor and participate in activities whenever possible.
• As children age, create an environment at home in which sexual topics can be discussed comfortably. Use news items and publicized reports of child sexual abuse to start discussions of safety, and reiterate that children should always tell a parent about anyone who is taking advantage of them sexually.
• If your child discloses any history of sexual abuse, listen carefully, and take his or her disclosure seriously. Too often, children are not believed, particularly if they implicate a family member as the perpetrator. Contact your pediatrician, the local child protection service agency, or the police. If you don’t intervene, the abuse might continue, and the child may come to believe that home is not safe and that you are not available to help.
• Support your child and let him or her know that he or she is not responsible for the abuse.
• Most children and their families will also need professional counseling to help them cope with the abuse.

For more information on keeping kids safe,

call (701) 323-5626.

• This post was recently published in the Dakota Catholic Action. View the original article.