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A father of two wants you to know his family’s story:
“One evening during family dinner, our 5-year-old announced calmly,
“A boy in my class asked if he could touch my private areas.”
Her mom and I will never forget that moment, hearts suddenly racing, the floor seeming to drop from under us.
Our daughter, though, projected confidence as she continued:
“I said NO. It’s against the Kidpower Safety Rules!”
She then proceeded to draw out the Kidpower rules on touch and secrets and asked,
“Can I bring my Kidpower Comic book to school to share with the other kids?”
Our daughter had learned the Kidpower Safety Rules in a Familypower class we had taken together a few months before, just before the start of the school year.
Our relief was overwhelming as we came to realize that just a little bit of Kidpower had very possibly protected our child from a potentially traumatic experience.
Kidpower had given her not just clear safety rules but also the boundary skills to use when the rules were broken – and the self-advocacy skills to tell us about it on the very same day!
Plus, Kidpower made it possible for us to learn and practice these skills together in ways that were fun, not scary.
Although we contacted the teacher and principal and felt good about how they addressed the issue, what was more reassuring was knowing our daughter understood and knew how to take charge of her safety.
Although the world can be a scary place, knowing there are proven practices right at our fingertips to help our kids be safe gives us huge peace of mind!”
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Published: November 27, 2023 | Last Updated: November 27, 2023
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.