Parenting tips: 6 body safety rules to teach your kids

It is important to teach your kids about the private parts of their body and why it's inappropriate for others to touch them. Check out the 6 body safety rules below that your children should must know.

Parenting tips: Parents frequently worry about the safety of their kids and try hard to teach them about things like water safety and street safety. We make sure they have raincoats on when its raining, apply sunscreen when sunny, and look both ways before crossing the street. But we frequently neglect to instruct them on proper body principles. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18 and according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, in 96 per cent of the cases, most of the sexual abusers were known to the children.

6 Body safety rules to teach your kids (istockphoto )

Therefore, the safety of your children should be your first priority and it is highly important to make your child aware and educate them about the body safety rules. Teaching children about bodily safety and having these safety dialogues are never too early. For both the parent and the child, having this talk might be unsettling, frightening, or even intimidating, but avoiding it will do your child a great disservice.

"Keeping an open communication, and including this topic in your parenting conversations can make all the difference for your child. Reinforce that you will always believe them and that they can tell you anything and will never get in trouble no matter what happens" says Psychologist and Certified Parenting Coach, Fathima, she further shared 6 body rules that every parent should teach their children, on her recent Instagram post.

1. My body is my body and it belongs to me

Teach your kids to say "NO". If they don't want to kiss or hug someone they should be able to say no to a person. Teach them the difference between a good touch and a bad touch.

2. I have a safety, people

Teach them they can trust five people. Make a list of 4-5 safety people whom they can come and tell if they feel worried, scared or unsure.

3. The correct name for the private parts

Teach them the right name of the private parts. Teach them no one can touch their private parts and no one should ask them to touch it. They can always come and tell to their safety people if they feel uncomfortable about it.

4. Safe and unsafe touch

Teach them at an early age around 2.5 to 3 years to differentiate between safe and unsafe touch. Make them understand safe touch like hugging, high-fives makes them feel loved, safe and comfortable. Unsafe touch makes them feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

5. Early warning signs

Teach them the early warning signs. If they feel frightened or unsafe, they may sweat a lot, have a sick tummy, become shaky and their heart might beat fast.

6. No Body Secrets

Teach them they should never keep any secrets which make them uncomfortable or feel bad about it. Teach them they should come and tell the safety people about it if they feel unsafe or bad about it.

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