Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director, Author at Kidpower International

“I don’t want to upset my child!” How to talk about safety with highly sensitive kids

by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | Jun 7, 2017

Many people expressed appreciation for our blog post about what adults need to know to protect their kids from sexual abuse – and what our kids need to know to stay safe. One mother wrote with this concern: “My biggest question is this: My daughter is so very sensitive that I never know how to […]

What Does a Child Abuser Look Like?

by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | May 17, 2017

Once a friend asked me, ” What does a child abuser look like?”
“I wish I had an easy answer to that question,” I said. …

As adults, we need to be prepared to stay connected with our children and know who the people responsible for their safety are and what they are doing. We must ask questions and speak up anytime we have a concern, regardless of discomfort or worries we might have.

Without going into the details about sexual abuse, here is what our kids need to know:

To Love, Honor, and Disobey In Celebration of Our 43rd Wedding Anniversary

by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | May 8, 2017

Without my husband Ed’s constant support of the organizational “child” I brought into our home and lives 28 years ago, there would be no Kidpower! And, since so many of you wrote about my letter to my 19-year-old self, I thought you’d enjoy a few memories and this wedding photo of Ed and I from […]

Letter to My 19-Year-Old Self 50 Years Later

by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | Apr 26, 2017

I sometimes wish that I could put a letter in a bottle and send it across the ocean of time to one of my younger Selves. On my 69th birthday, as I am looking back over the years, here is what I would have liked 19-year old Irene to have known. 1. Don’t give up. […]

Seven Positive Actions To Honor Child Abuse Prevention Month

by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | Apr 1, 2017

Let’s honor Child Abuse Prevention Month this April by protecting our kids from harm – and preparing them with knowledge and skills for taking charge of their own safety. Sadly, we cannot take away the suffering caused by abuse in the past. We can and must do our best to protect the kids of today and tomorrow – and to help everyone who has survived abuse as a child to find healing and hope.
Here are seven child abuse prevention actions each of us can take this month that will make a difference.