February 14, 2007 6:21 PM
Kids and sexual safety
Hi Barbara. I am homeschooling mom of 4, my oldest being a specials needs guy. I enjoy reading your blog when I get the chance. I think I remember you recommending a video or two for teaching your children about stranger danger. Am I right? I can't remember what your recommendations were. Thanks! Laura
There are two recommendations under Barbara's Picks - including a book:
The Right Touch: A Read-Aloud Story to Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
For a topic no parent relishes dealing with, but every child needs, this book presents vital information in a safe, comfortable story format - the best way to communicate abstract ideas to young children.
From the School Library Journal: A picture book that clearly instructs children on how to deal with unwanted and inappropriate touching through a heart-to-heart talk between a little boy and his mother. The author sensitively distinguishes between the loving touch we all need and "secret, deceptive, or forced touching." Children are encouraged to listen to their own feelings, assert their right to stop unwanted contact, and get help from trusted adults "even if it is supposed to be a secret." An informative foreword to adults gives valuable information on communicating personal safety to children and advice for helping those who report abuse.
And a DVD:
The Safe Side: Stranger Safety
Read the editorial reviews at amazon to see why this DVD is a best-seller. A blessing for parents who want to empower their kids to deal with the very real dangers in the world around us - while not causing them unecessary anxiety.
From amazon: offers seven specific safety tips to keep kids safe and, with the help of real kids, details simple, concrete actions and phrases that empower kids in a variety of potentially dangerous situations. Best of all, the presentation is never scary, but always extremely funny--that means that kids ages 2 to 10 will actually enjoy learning about safety. Kudos to Julie Clark (creator of Baby Einstein) and John Walsh (host of America's Most Wanted) for creating a safety video that's highly entertaining, informative, and practical.
And with 550,000 convicted sex offenders in this country, here is information every family needs:
The Family Watchdog: Type in your address and see a map which pinpoints the addresses of convicted sex offenders in your area with access to their records.
FBI National Sex Offenders Registry
I remembered I needed to share this with you when I had coffee with a reader yesterday and she told me she had to keep a watchful eye on her little children because where we live no one has fences and it is just a hop, skip and a jump over the rolling Virginia landscape to the place where a sex offender has just moved in.
I know that liberals raised a ruckus when the FBI decided to make this information public. They thought it would be a violation of the sex offenders' civil rights. Thank God common sense prevailed and the FBI considered the safety of innocent children more important.
Posted in Current Affairs, Mothering | Permalink
Comments
thanks for the book it looks good, is there one written for girls? and i'll check out that movie. this has been something that is on my mind lately and i'm feeling ill-equiped to teach my girls about this.
Posted by: allena | February 14, 2007 10:12 PM
I got a reminder to listen to my gut when I clicked the link that lets you type in your own address. When I was a bartender a couple years ago, there was a customer that scared the living daylights out of me. He'd never *done* anything wrong to me, but I just knew he was a very bad person. So, whenever he was there and it looked like the bar was about to empty out, I'd call my husband or a friend to stay with me until he left. Turns out, I was right. He's had multiple convictions of varying degrees of sexual assault.
And that brings up another question: What do we tell our kids when they get their own dose of intuition that they can't explain?
Posted by: vida | February 15, 2007 1:31 AM
Interesting timing! I, like the person posing the question, am a "homeschooling mom of 4, my oldest being a special needs guy." And we just happen to have watched the "Safe Side" DVD today! My kids love it and find it just totally hilarious. The producers did an excellent job of presenting a scary topic in a way that is fun and will not frighten a child too much, yet is clear and, I hope, effective.
Posted by: marian | February 15, 2007 1:54 AM
Thanks Barbara! This is perfect timing and I'm placing my order with Amazon today. We are getting ready to send our 4 year old off to pre-school and although she is so excited to start school, my husband and I are worried about sending her off into this crazy world. It's time to start these lessons with her and our 2 year old.
Posted by: Kelley | February 15, 2007 10:50 AM
Thanks for the tips, Barbara. It is important for parents to read the Megan's Law site for their state very carefully. I just found out that in my state SOME convicted child molestors are taken off the Megan's law site after ten years, if they were convicted in another state and for other things. (I could not believe it, but KIDNAPPING is one of the offenses for which after ten years they are removed from the site.) Be aware of the individual state laws and don't be afraid to be in touch with your local police about neighborhood convicted predators who are on the list and then who suddenly disappear from the list.
Posted by: elena maria vidal | February 15, 2007 12:11 PM
Thanks for the Family Watchdog link. I did a map of our neighborhood, and that's a scary thing!
I've been thinking about this topic the past few days after reading this post on Rocks in My Dryer about why she doesn't post pictures of her kids. http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2007/02/why_i_dont_post.html
I regularly post pictures of my daughter...I don't know if that's something I should be worried about doing or not. I know you often post pictures of your children - what are your thoughts on the issue of whether or not it's safe to post pictures of your kids?
Posted by: Becky Miller | February 15, 2007 3:32 PM
