‘You get to decide what you do with your body.’
There are many delicate chats we have to have with our kids – what happens when we die, why another child might be being mean, why their parents sometimes fight.
But a critical conversation that all mums, dads and guardians must have with children is one around consent.
A child might not understand that his or her body is off limits to others or that no-one should ever make them feel unsafe, which is why a sensitive but firm talk is crucial for child protection.
Consent is something that, sadly, even some adults struggle with, so how do you begin go explain it to a primary-school-age child?
If you’d rather not go down the ‘stranger-danger’ route, a video like this could be a good jumping-off point.
Rather than scare tactics, this ‘Consent for Kids’ video, originally spotted by LifeHacker, breaks down a heavy topic in a simple way and contains a positive message (“you are in control”) rather than a negative one (“someone could try to hurt you”).
Depending on how old your child is, you could watch just part or all of this together and then have a chat.
If the word ‘consent’ itself feels a little abstract, questions around saying ‘no’ and ‘yes’ and what makes them feel comfortable or uncomfortable might be easier for a child to get on board with.
Have you ever had a chat with your kids on consent? What worked for you? Share your experience in the Facebook comments or on Twitter.
