How To Educate Your Child About The 'Bad Touch'

As parents you ensure that your child is well-taken care of and will go to various extents for the same. But you cannot accompany your child everywhere. Your child will soon start doing things all by himself/herself, such as going to school, attending birthday parties, social gatherings and so on and not everyone your child meets has a good intention. So, how do you ensure that your child is safe and secure, even when you are not there? The answer to this question is by educating your child about sexual abuse, and more specifically about good and bad touch. Starting this lesson at an early age ensures that your child knows when he/she is experiencing a good or a bad touch.

Why It Is Important To Teach Your Child About The ‘Touch'?

With the kind of environment, we are living in there has been a steady increase in paedophiles – a person who targets small children (irrespective of the gender, colour, caste and creed) for his/her sexual pleasure. Yes, even little boys are exposed to the dangers of sexual abuse so not only girls, even boys should be taught about good and bad touch in general. If your child has been educated about what is a good touch or a bad touch, then he or she will be in a better position to protect himself/herself by raising an alarm when someone touches him/her in an inappropriate way. READ: Ways to Educate Child to Protect From Molestation, Sexual Assualt, Abuse 

Ways in which you can Teach Your Child about ‘bad touch'

Building Trust:

Build a bond of trust with your child from an early age and encourage him/her to share everything with you. Ensure your child that you are there for him/her and that there must be nothing to hide from you. This will enable your child to talk freely with you

Teach About Body Parts:

Teach your child about his/her body parts and refer to them in their exact name. There is nothing dirty about the child's body and hence you must explain to them his/her anatomy by using the right language. You can also tell your child that nobody else but you and your child himself/herself have the right to touch his/her body parts. Patiently explain it your child that it is not normal for anyone else to touch his/her body parts

Swimsuit Rule:

This is the easiest way to teach your child about good and bad touch. Tell your child that the parts covered by a swimsuit are private and hence nobody is allowed to touch them. If anybody happens to touch those parts, tell your child to report the incident to you immediately

Teaching About Safe Touch:

Always teach your child about safe touch by telling him/her that if his/her mother, father or a doctor touches the private parts, it is safe, as it is to ensure the body's health. Nobody other than these individuals are allowed to touch the private parts. 

Learn to Say NO:

You must tell your child that if anybody touches their private parts inappropriately, he/she has to say ‘No' or ‘Stop'. Assure them that there is no harm in saying no. If the touch is bad, tell your child to scream and shout for help immediately

Run From the Place:

Teach your child to get away from the place where he/she has been touched inappropriately as soon as possible and also shout for help

It's Not a Child's Fault:

At times when a child is sexually abused, he/she doesn't know why it happened and might think it was their fault and feel guilty about it. You need to teach your child that it is not his/her fault and the predator is responsible for wrongdoings

Do Not Force Affection:

You must never force affection on your child if he/she doesn't feel comfortable. A hug or a peck on the cheek can be encouraged from relatives and friends if your child feels comfortable and appreciates the affection

Keep the Conversation Light:

At last, you need to keep the conversation about good and bad touch light and easy. Do not make use of heavy words and do not make the topic too emotional. Allow the conversation to happen naturally so that your child feels comfortable and doesn't hesitate to talk to you about it

You can also read books or see videos on the internet about this topic with your child as children tend to grasp things better when they see by themselves. Such precautions will help your child from running away from such scarring incidents. Talking about good and bab touch will help your child understand things better. It will also help your child in staying mentally prepared for the future. Remember that your role as a parent is essential in keeping your child physically, emotionally and mentally secure.

Did you find the blog on how to educate your child about bad touch useful? Have you yet educated your child about the good and bad touch? Share your views and feedback in the comments section below.