We saw this fantastic image on Facebook and we just love it!
As a former prosecutor and police officer now with 3 little ones, body safety is HUGE on our house.
We have regularly discussed whether it is the vicarious trauma from cases which we have been involved with but in reality it is just teaching your children that it’s okay to be empowered when it comes to their own bodies.
It is their body after all!
They really make the rules. They know what they feel comfortable with and what they don’t.
We don’t pretend to have all the answers (I mean are we cutting the toast into squares or triangles today?)
But some of the things we have always implemented are:
We call body parts by their names and then teach our kids what the proper names are. It’s called arms and legs and penis and vagina for a reason!
We don’t force our kids to hug others or provide physical contact. They are enlightened little beings and if they feel comfortable and choose to hug someone then they will. They are not shy.
“It’s a secret” is bull! We keep surprises for birthdays or other special occasions but we also explain why a surprise is a good idea.
We also empower our kids to know that they can scream, kick or shout (just like my underpants rules says) if they faced a situation where they don’t feel comfortable. They don’t have to be polite. They don’t have to worry about “getting in trouble”. If they don’t feel comfortable. If it doesn’t sit well with them. Then they have permission to do what they need too. #terrigal #bodysafetyeducation #breakthecycle #lawyersofinstagram