Teaching Your About Child Good Touch & Bad Touch

Introduction

As a parent, you are bound to worry alot for the safety of your child. From the moment they are born, we shield them from all worldly evils and be their best friend and protector until they grow up. It is a duty of parents to watch over them with protective eyes, but it is also the duty of parents to let them take their first step into the wilderness and give them an opportunity to open their wings and soar!

We constantly worry about the evils to which a young child is vulnerable to. Hence we have to empower them and mould them into a responsible & educated future adult. To prevent sexual abuse, every parent must talk to their child about Good Touch and Bad Touch. As per research there is an indirect relationship between sexual education being imparted at a young to possibility of happening of sexual abuse. The more we teach our children, the less likely they are to get exploited.

You may be worries, that your child wont be able to grasp the significance of sexual abuse, body, consent and sexual developments, but in this day & age, it is imperative to educate your child on the topic of sexual abuse, as early as possible. This will have multifold benefits in the later developmental years of the child.

At What Age Should You Educate Your Child?

Research suggests that the early a young child is taught about body, consent and good touch, bad touch, the less possibility is there for an occurrence of sexual abuse in the future developmental years. Ideally the age from 2 years old to 9 years old is the most appropriate time to educate your child on good touch vs bad touch.

Related: 3 Reasons to teach Sex Education to your child

Why is it important to teach kids to differentiate between a good touch and a bad touch?

Children at a young age are like an empty vessel. They have to be taught how to protect themselves. Moreover if they are aware of the steps to take in case of molestation or sexual abuse, they will more readily inform a trusted adult. It shall encourage open communication between parent & child.

Sex education encompassing good touch & bad touch, is one of the most fundamental real life skill for every child. In order to empower them and transform them into a responsible future leader.

Some advice for parents to teach their child to? prevent, confront or respond to attempts of sexual abuse.

When your child tells you that they have been sexually abused or molested, the adult may feel taken aback and no knowing what to do. These are few things you can say & do in such scenario:

What to say:

1. Show that you understand and take seriously what the child is saying. Child and adolescent psychiatrists have found that children who are listened to and understood share more and have less emotional problems than children who are dismissed or not believed.? Responding without judgment to a child who is disclosing sexual abuse is very important to the their healing from the trauma of sexual abuse.
2. Assure the child that they did the right thing in telling. A child who is close to the abuser may feel guilty about revealing the secret. The child may feel frightened if the abuser has threatened to harm the child or other family members as punishment for telling the secret.
3. Tell the child that he or she is not to blame for the sexual abuse. Most children in attempting to make sense out of the abuse will believe that somehow they caused it or may even view it as a form of punishment for imagined or real wrongdoings.
4. Finally, offer the child protection, and promise that you will promptly take steps to see that the abuse stops.

What to do:

1. The foremost action to take is to take appropriate action with the law enforcement agencies. Consulting a doctor for physical checkup as well as a therapist for emotional support is essential. The child will feel vulnerable, not being able to understand what has occurred with him/her. It will be the duty of the parent to ensure love, support & understanding in such a fragile state of mind of the children.

How to Know If Your Child Has Been Abused?

If you notice these signs or symptoms in the behaviour of your child, please be alert.

1. Is quieter or more distant than usual
2. asks questions like ‘Do people have to keep secrets?’
3. swelling or redness in the genital area
4. pain when going to the toilet
5. bruises on soft parts of their body, like buttocks or thighs
6. says their head or tummy hurts and there doesn’t seem to be a physical cause
7. Start showing signs of withdrawal from you and other family members
8. Refuses to go near certain people or their presence makes them feel uncomfortable.
9. Does not want to go for a playdate or party in a particular house.

Related: Everything you need to know about periods.

About Ioza Learning:

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