Consent Education Needs to Start Early

Consent has most certainly been the hot of 2021 so far.

If you’re a parent who would like helpful tips on how to talk with your children about consent, you’re in the right place

Today we aim to help you help your children fully understand concepts like bodily autonomy and verbal consent, with tips on how you can comfortably open conversations on the topic.

We also address recent issues in the media as examples of what can happen when and if we don’t have age-appropriate conversations with children which can eventuate to larger problems in their teens and adulthood.

If we can start with addressing basic concepts, and open up conversations about consent at an early age, it will make it much easier to talk about the hard stuff with children as they grow.

Whilst there is no silver bullet to solve the issues Australia is experiencing with domestic violence and abusive behaviours, we can make a conscious decision to educate children about consent and what respectful, healthy, happy relationships are.

Prevention is always better than a cure.

Let’s raise respectful children to become respectful adults.

THIS is where can start and help do our part to put issues like this to an end.

To help discuss this we speak with Kari Sutton, an expert in fostering children’s positive mental health. Kari has helped over 25,000 children, parents, and educators with evidence-based strategies to help manage their anxiety. Her expertise has made her an in-demand conference speaker, author, and consultant in fostering children’s positive mental health.

We ask Kari questions including:

Are lessons about consent more than a conversation about physical/personal relationships and more about teaching children about the basic principles of respect?
Do you think if we start age-appropriate conversation early, it can stop issues developing into larger ones, and from potentially developing at all?
How early can we start talking to our children about consent?
What language do we use when we are talking to children about their bodies?
What are some basic examples parents with preschoolers can use?
How can this behaviour also help cultivate consent?
How can we talk to family, friends even our GP about the concepts we are teaching our children?
What are your thoughts on the recent issues in the media ie the online petition in NSW, to Australian Government’s Respect Matters program ‘The Good Society’ short educational videos to sexual harassment allegations in parliament?
Do you think if consent isn’t addressed properly, it can make it difficult for children to address the subject seriously?
Do you think parents need to be respectful of children’s level of intelligence and general awareness? or not?