Health & Fitness
Raunchiness at Recess
Kids like to share "new" information. Here is what to do when another kids shares rated "R" information with your child.
Yep. Everybody loves to share exciting news. Kids especially love to share news that covers off limit topics, like sex. I officially basking in completing day 1 of the new school year when my young daughter shared with me that an older kid had told her about what a "Blow out" was. Of course what she was describing was not really a "Blow out". She had the words mixed up. It did not take me long to figure out they were NOT talking about hair do's or car tires.
Poker face. Poker face. Poker face.
My daughter was grossed out, but not traumatized by this new revelation. We have talked on a regular basis about body safety. She knew that our family safety rule was to come talk to a grown up if ANYONE, even another kid, talks to her about sex (because sex is NOT FOR KIDS, as she reminded me), talks to her about bathing suit areas (hers or theirs) or shows her their bathing suit areas or asks to see her bathing suit area - which are private. I made sure that she was OK and had not been physically touched. She was mostly curious about this new information and completely grossed out. As she should be at her age.
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Thankfully, she did come to talk to me right away and I thanked her for telling me what happened. Her immediate concern? Am I in trouble? Is my friend going to be in trouble? "Nope!" I assured her. We reviewed our safety rules and I told her that I would talk to the child's parents so they could help that child learn more about safety rules regarding private and/or "family information".
Phone calls were made, everybody was calm. Sample scripts were shared on ways to talk to kids about how some topics (like "blow outs") are not for kids.
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Now that your kids are back in school, take time to review your family safety rules and make sure your child knows that their bathing suit areas are private and other peoples bathing suit areas are private and that includes talking about bathing suit areas in a sexual way.
At the end of the evening, my daughter smiled and patted me lightly on the arm and said "I am so glad nobody in our family does blow outs". Oh boy.