Body Safety Songs

07/27/2024

Grab those opportunities for organic, natural conversations about body safety and the heroes who tell. Caroline Ellen - Safer Stronger Kids

Simone Biles came on the TV screen.

My husband commented to our girls - “She’s the world’s greatest gymnast”.

I added, “and she’s really brave”.

My 5yo looked at me and asked, “why?”

So I told her.

“Because the American gymnasts used to have a team doctor, who turned out to be a tricky person. He was touching the girls’ private parts. For the girls it was so scary to tell anyone. They didn’t know if anyone would believe them and they were scared they’d lose their spot on the team.

But Simone Biles was one of the girls who spoke up and said what had been happening, and now that tricky doctor is in jail”.

I could see she was still listening, so I added,
“And now, she’s got her own Gymnastics centre, where they make sure the kids are all safe, where their parents can easily watch over them, and they are spoken to kindly instead of being yelled at, which is what lots of coaches do, but it’s not ok”.

My daughter didn’t respond.

She got out of her chair, and watched every moment of Simone Biles’ routine.

⬆️ Teachable moments about body safety and children’s rights are everywhere.

Take them.

(Photo from the Team USA Instagram page, Getty Images).

** Editing to add: please know that this post was never intended as a history lesson. I’ve written word for word what I said to my 5yo - I did my best to simplify the story for her, and I represented that here.

Simone Biles was not the first athlete to speak out, she spoke out later - I don’t think this makes her less brave. People go through their own journeys and speak up in their own time. She has kept showing up. She has pressed for change. All of this is brave beyond measure.

If you haven’t heard the story, or want more information, please watch the documentary Athlete A. Or just Google it. You can find all the details just about everywhere.

The response to this post has been overwhelming.

I hope the key point was clear: Seize the moments to talk to your kids. Be open. There are age-appropriate ways to talk about everything. They are ready for more than you think.

07/10/2024

This is your permission to take action, enforce boundaries, say no, & limit access to your child based on NOTHING more than “I just don’t feel good about it.”
THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH.
Give kids the same permission. Together you can learn to trust THEIR own “Uh-Oh Feeling” too.

07/08/2024

Even though she’d never heard this scenario, she had heard the songs, she had talked with me about the concepts, and she was empowered to see through this trap.
Empower YOUR kids, subscribe to the Body Safety Songs YouTube Channel, link: https://youtube.com/?si=yc32D-uupjbI3lM3

07/02/2024

You’ve got this! And we’ve got you! Learn more at link in bio ➡️

06/27/2024

Body Safety Songs makes teaching the Three R's easy. You've got this! And we've got you! Get started today! Link in bio ➡️

06/26/2024

We've made one of the HARDEST parts of parenting SO MUCH EASIER! Arm yourself and your kids with this powerful resource!

03/06/2024

The truth is most children are not capable of being this confrontational with an adult or a more powerful child (socially, intellectually, or physically). The most likely scenario in an abuse situation is that the child will not be able to say no. If they have been taught that they MUST say no, this can add to their guilt, shame and sense of responsibility for what happened.
This doesn't mean we don't teach them to resist, but it means we also teach them less confrontational exit strategies (like "I have to go to the bathroom") and that IF THEY DON'T RESIST OR GET AWAY, IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT. We teach them it's OUR job, as adults, to protect them from abuse, their job is just to be a kid.
We also need to be careful telling kids to NEVER keep a secret. The most likely scenario again is that kids won't tell right away. For many complicated reasons (that we share in other posts) the average age of disclosure of CSA is over 50 years of age. Telling them NEVER to keep a secret can add to their shame and guilt again, which actually makes it harder to finally open up and tell.
Instead teach them that SECRETS ARE NOT SAFE and that YOU WILL HELP THEM and not get mad at them if they come to you with a secret or with anything they are privately worrying about.

02/28/2024

Connection = Protection. Children with strong connections and parental warmth are 1.Less likely to be targeted for abuse 2.More likely to tell if they do experience abuse and 3.Tend to heal more quickly & experience fewer trauma symptoms. Every time you laugh with or really listen to your child, you are doing a fun & essential part of lowering their risk.

02/13/2024

Even if that's ALL you do...they will already be safer. Link in BIO
And you will have already taken the first step. The rest aren't as hard as you'd think.
Do it today!
Body Safety Songs is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit working to empower every family with csa prevention skills

01/31/2024

This is how we do it