Strangers and Appropriate Touch

You can go on the Diocese of Phoenix website and they have a class called Called to Protect (Safe Environment)... its mostly used for employees but they have classes for parents and children. I work at a Preschool (3 year olds) and its required we take this class. I found it very informative and you learn alot of things that you never would have thought of. Im not sure if you have to be Catholic to take the class but they are located all over the valley and at different times- the website provides a list of where, when, and who the instructor is or the phone number to the church office. I would recommend this class to ALL PARENTS! Hope this was of some help to you.

*some advice given in the class is to teach your children the exact name of their "private parts" so that if something ever does happen they can say exactly what was touched or whatever happened. They said it is harder for the justice system to try and prove that this nickname means that specific body part and especially if it is a very young child.... so no nicknames for private areas.

What I've done with my children is tell them about stranger danger. I told them how their are some bad people in this world that are not very nice and would take them away from mommy and daddy if they got a chance. They're not allowed to talk to anyone they don't know, unless mom or dad talks to them first.
Whenever my kids are in the bath, I always have them wash their genitalia and I tell them that only they are allowed to touch there. Mommy and daddy can touch there and so can a doctor and that's it but no one else can touch them there, ever. It makes the point clearer for them if I'm not even touching them there during bath time.
Hope this helps, good luck.

R., I have 3 kids and I have talk to them about this. I have told them that anywhere your swimsuit is can not be touched by anyone but mommy, daddy , grandma or the Dr. and that is only if we are washing you or putting med. on you. I think useing the swimsuit area as no touch is easy for young ones to remember. Good Luck

Be honest, explain that there is such a thing as stranger danger, and that her private areas are private areas that shouldn't be touched by others and if ever (heaven forbid) something does happen be sure that she knows that she can come to you with ANYTHING. It is a scary world and the best advice I can give to you is to be open with her in a loving and caring manner. Good luck it is a difficult topic to hurdle, I think you are making the right decision to inform her, it is never to early.

I have not taken the class but I got a flyer in the mail that Makutu's Island(indoor play area in Chandler ) was holding some Stranger Danger classes. I called to see when the next class was and was told they were picking a date in the next few day but some time before Halloween, probably on a Sunday. I think I will be taking my 4 year old to check it out. www.makutusisland.com