Childhood Sexual Abuse: Not Talking to Your Kids About Their Bodies Is Parental Malpractice Opinion Parenting Fatherhood
I had a 3-year-old in my office the other day; three and a half years old and she was able to talk – and she was able to talk about what Daddy did. The problem is that many kids are not able to talk specifics because they aren't taught about all of their body parts at a young age.
Nobody wants to talk about their private parts. Nobody wants to talk about being violated, and nobody wants to go in front of a crowd and have to talk about their vagina or their breasts or their butt. But identifying body parts at a young age with the anatomically correct names is critical.
The message is clear: talking about private parts is not taboo; others touching private parts is taboo. If a child does come to you to report sexual abuse, there are a few questions you should ask:
- When?
- Where?
- Show me what they did.
- Did they say anything to you?
And then leave the rest to law enforcement to investigate. As an attorney, I advise parents not to ignore an outcry and not to put words in a child's mouth.
Having witnessed and cross-examined perpetrators, having heard the stomach-turning testimony of young children time and again, I decided to write a book to jump-start the conversation parents should be having with kids. My first body safety book, My Privates Are Private, is easy for kids to read and understand.
Learn more at StaceyHonowitz.com.
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