I'm a mother of twins, RDA accredited Cloth Diaper Circle Leader, and an RN discussing parenting tips, green living, and products I love!
I recently watched a Law and Order SVU episode with a story line based around the molestation and murder of a little girl by a WOMAN assailant. It made me wonder how many victims of female assailants are out there? What can we as parents do to decrease the chances that our most precious creations NEVER fall victim to any predator?
Why did this particular episode grab my attention and so closely hold it? At three years old I fell victim to an early teen young woman. Looking back, I can only imagine that someone had taken advantage of this young girl. I can only guess that her way to regain any power over her own life was to take power from someone else. How did she gain access to me at the age of 3? This young woman was the daughter of my babysitter. I have very strong, vivid, bad memories from this babysitter. The family was obviously unhealthy. The thing is, when I was 3 the “stranger danger” campaign didn’t exist.
I by no means think we should make our children or ourselves paranoid about this subject. I do believe that if your children are in the care of someone other than you (ANYONE other than you) they should be taught some basics. Teach them that their private parts are theirs ALONE and that they are private! They shouldn’t share their private parts. No one should touch them in a way that makes them feel bad or uncomfortable. I like this as a general statement. I’d much rather have them come tell me someone made them feel bad by making them sit down for a time out, than have them not telling me about the “bad” situations at all. Try to keep this type of education very general. Giving too much detail can plant ideas in their head that they don’t need to think about yet. You only want them to remember this education if they fall into a situation that requires it. Talk to your kids about their day, especially when they weren’t with you for some of it! “What was the best part of your day? What was the worst part of your day?” You might think that preverbal toddlers are too young for this but they aren’t. In our house, either at dinner or bath time, I run over our day with the kids. This helps my husband to be included in our activities. I ask the twins “Did you tell Daddy about our day?” Then I list many of our activities and ask them what their favorite part was. I also include “negative” things like, “we were a little cranky because we took a short nap and we had to have a timeout”. If you build this into your routine early your kids will look forward to giving you a report about their day when they are older.
This post was not created to strike fear in every mother taking her child to daycare. I just want to educate you. Be aware of the entire environment of the babysitter or daycare. Will there be preteens or teenagers home? Have you met these kids? You should know everyone who will come in contact with your child. Go with your gut. Does a situation make YOU feel uneasy? Your kids are going to be there feeling uneasy for a lot longer than you. Find a caregiver that fits both you and your child. Have a probation period with a new caregiver and make sure your child expresses how they are liking their care. The most frequent victims of child abuse are newborn to 3 years old! For more statistics on child abuse see the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services website.
I consider myself lucky, in that I didn’t undergo abuse for a long period of time. Even though I was told not to tell, I told my mother and she removed me from the situation. The problem was, this effected me in endless ways. I had TERRIBLE self-esteem and anyone who knows kids knows that low self-esteem puts a huge target on your back. I struggled for approval when I shouldn’t have cared. I was just under 25 before I became a strong willed woman with good self-esteem. It was a lot of work.
I recommend that if you are unfortunate enough to have a child who is the victim of abuse, please get them in to counseling. There are free programs out there – so there is no excuse! It can have a huge effect on their life. For more information you may be interested in this book, “The Swimsuit Lesson“, which was recommended to me by a friend. Thanks Moni! (Here is a link to buy “The Swimsuit Lesson“) I have read this book and think it is a great way to talk to your children about such a serious subject. The book is broken into two parts, the story to read to your children and a parent’s guide.
Please know that I am fine and well and love my life. I did not share this experience for any reason other than to help prevent further abuse. It’s not just creepy men that abuse children! Please leave any advice for parents of victims, questions or additional information in the comments for this post. I’m sure other parents will appreciate it as much as I will! To report suspected abuse or to find help for an abuse victim please call the ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1 800 422-4453 or visit their website HERE. Calls are anonymous.
What are the Super Sprowtz? They are a great bunch of characters dreamed up by Radha Agrawal. Radha is an inspiring woman (and happens to be a twin!) who has created a series of books based on the Super Sprowtz characters. These characters were conceived to build a healthier future for today’s youth. Each of the characters has a super ability based off of their nutritional value. The stories are meant to be read to, or read by, your children to inspire them to eat their veggies and maybe even take on some of these much desired “super powers”.
Radha asked that I do a product review and sent me Brian Broccoli’s book in which he uses his super strength along with his many super sprowtz friends to defeat the evil Greasy G. The book has a great plot line, lots of beautiful illustrations, and a description of broccoli’s nutritional content along with a recipe. It also describes some basic nutritional content of many vegetables as well. My 23 month old twins seemed entertained by the story, and the book has given me some new vocabulary to use when talking to them about food. I have read that it isn’t a very good idea to tell kids “finish your broccoli and then you can have fruit!” (or dessert or whatever) Doing this gives the impression that one food is better than the other. However, if we instead encourage them to eat veggies by taking a bite ourselves and saying “yummy” or perhaps “eat your broccoli all gone so you can be big and strong like Brian Broccoli” we are not insinuating that one food tastes better than another. We are educating them about what is good for them. P.S. it can still be yummy too!
Check out this Super Sprowtz video! SuperSprowtz.com is loaded with tons of great stuff like, recipes, videos, educational information, and you can purchase the books there as well. You can also buy the Super Sprowtz collection at Amazon.com!
Radha has an amazing background as a film and TV producer for 10 years, as well as experience as a fitness instructor. She co-owns two organic restaurants with her twin sister Miki in New York. She wants to eradicate the current obesity epidemic and I want to help! The best way to do this is to educate our young children about eating healthy foods while they are young. I encourage you to check out SuperSprowtz.com. It is an amazing resource!
To encourage a healthy education, Radha has agreed to giveaway one of the books in the Super Sprowtz series!
How to enter: Leave a comment on this blog for EACH of the following actions you take to enter.
Visit SuperSprowtz.com and tell me what you love best about the site.
“Like” Super Sprowtz on Facebook.
Purchase a Super Sprowtz product.
Tweet or post on Facebook about this giveaway.
Donate your Facebook status to informing others about Super Sprowtz.
Repost a Super Sprowtz video on Facebook.
“Like” MommaWords AND vote for MommaWords at the voting sites listed in the sidebar to the right.
Blog about this giveaway and the importance of the Super Sprowtz message and/or your favorite veggie recipe.
A winner will be announced on February 5th, 2011. The contest will close on February 4th, 2011 at 12 midnight. The winner will be chosen via RANDOM.ORG and will be mailed a book directly from Radha. I will contact you via email the day after the contest closes and you will have 48 hours to claim your prize before an new winner is chosen.
Best of luck!
NOW CLOSED
