Can We Talk Health Education

Do not get scared! Get involved! Spread the word. Spread the hope.

S*x Ed is more important than ever! Comprehensive, inclusive, and medically accurate s*x education must be protected. *xed

Op-Ed: Better s*x education in schools can help young people affected by abortion bans Without comprehensive, medically accurate s*x education, young people are not being provided with sufficient resources to avoid unplanned pregnancies.

*xedmatters

Katia Hetter taught her daughter an important lesson with a very simple phrase: “I would like you to hug Grandma, but I won't make you do it.” Her then four-year-old daughter was going on what she describes as “a hugging and kissing strike” -- parents might receive a hug, but even close family would not. Hetter felt it provided a good opportunity to teach her daughter “that it's OK to say no to an adult who lays a hand on her -- even a seemingly friendly hand." As she explained, "I figure her body is actually hers, not mine. It doesn't belong to her parents, preschool teacher, dance teacher or soccer coach. While she must treat people with respect, she doesn't have to offer physical affection to please them. And the earlier she learns ownership of herself and responsibility for her body, the better for her."

Hetter’s decision is backed up by many parenting experts, especially since the vast majority of s*xual abuse of children is carried out by relatives or family friends. Ursula Wagner from FamilyWorks in Chicago says that forcing physical contact like hugs “sends a message that there are certain situations [when] it's not up to them what they do with their bodies.” That message can have multiple repercussions as children grow: Irene Vanderzand, cofounder of Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International, says that “forc[ing] children to submit to unwanted affection in order not to offend a relative or hurt a friend's feelings, we teach them that their bodies do not really belong to them because they have to push aside their own feelings about what feels right to them... [this can lead] to children getting s*xually abused, teen girls submitting to s*xual behavior so 'he'll like me' and kids enduring bullying because everyone is 'having fun.'”

Hetter also points out that allowing children to refuse hugs does not mean allowing them to be rude: “She has to be polite when greeting people, whether she knows them or not. When family and friends greet us, I give her the option of ‘a hug or a high-five.’ Since she's been watching adults greet each other with a handshake, she sometimes offers that option.” Hetter explains to family members “why we're letting her decide who she touches.” And, as she’s already observed, there is one additional benefit to letting her daughter lead the way when it comes to physical contact: “When my child cuddled up to my mother on the sofa recently, happily talking to her about stories and socks and toes and other things, my mother's face lit up. She knew it was real.” To read more, visit http://cnn.it/VLKGbO

To start teaching children -- girls and boys alike -- from a young age about the need to respect others and their personal boundaries, we recommend "Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect" for ages 4 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/body-boundaries) and "My Body! What I Say Goes!" for ages 3 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/my-body)

For older kids, check out the excellent "Consent (for Kids!)" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/consent-for-kids

There is also a new picture book about a young lovebird who learns there are many ways to show that you care, "Rissy No Kissies" for ages 3 to 7 at https://www.amightygirl.com/rissy-no-kissies

For a powerful book about a middle school girl grappling with how to deal with unwanted hugs and attention from boys at school, we highly recommend "Maybe He Just Likes You" for ages 10 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/maybe-he-just-likes-you

There is also an excellent guide for teens on topics such as consent and setting boundaries: "Real Talk About S*x and Consent: What Every Teen Needs to Know," for ages 13 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/real-talk-about-s*x-and-consent

Thanks to Safe kids, thriving families for sharing this image!

Awareness is one thing, acceptance is another.

You need to ask yourself if you truly accept autistic people because maybe you just think you do.

Acceptance looks like catering for autistic needs in the workplace. This can look like helping autistic people to break down responsibilities into easy to follow tasks, supporting them to navigate the social norms and etiquette of meetings and work related functions, providing movement breaks so their body can regulate, checking on them to see if that the person is hyper fixated and over working themselves.

Acceptance looks like providing Autism friendly environments in local parks and community centres. This can look like providing sensory rooms/spaces and including things like communication boards and appropriate stimuli.

Acceptance looks like public and privately funded schools providing adaptable learning to autistic individuals so that they too can receive the education they deserve.

Acceptance looks like resorts and caravan parks that are “family friendly” having a sensory space for families with autistic children.

Acceptance looks like cafes and restaurants welcoming and accepting children or people with autism without judgement and without trying to make them act or behave in a way that expects them to fit into societal norms. This can look like providing sensory spaces, sensory equipment etc but can be as simple as saying to a family “it’s ok, your kids are welcome to be themselves here”.

Acceptance looks like organising autism friendly events for your friends that have autism or that have kids with autism. This is as simple as thinking about the location you hold an event and what things you can do to help support neuro divergence.

Acceptance looks like telling the people you love that have autism, or have kids with autism, that it’s ok to be themselves and that you love them regardless of their meltdowns, sensory aversions, noise, behaviours, quirks and eccentricities.

I long for a world where my boys are accepted. I long to be able to take them on a holiday where they can be themselves without judgement.
I long to be able to attend friends kids birthday parties because they have catered for my autistic children.
I long to be able to go out for lunch or dinner as a family and feel no judgement for how they act or what noise they make.
I long to be able to to go to the playground as a family and have somewhere to escape to when they feel overwhelmed.

Autism is who someone is. They cannot change. They cannot “behave better”
Or “get over their issues”. You cannot say you accept someone if you expect them to act a different way.

So please, I ask you, take a look at yourself and your behaviour towards people who act different….. take a look at the judgement you possess when you see a child having a meltdown in public… take a look at the societal norms you expect people and children to adhere too…. And ask yourself, do you really accept Autistic people?

Today is trans day of visibility. 💙💕🤍💕💙

We need people to fight so that we can exist, whether we want to be visible or not. Removing legal, societal, and medical barriers that prevent us from living our lives to the fullest.




ID: text reads "Trans day of visibility 31st March 2022. A reminder that trans people deserve to exist without legal societal and medical barriers." A heart in the trans colours to the left in the middle an arm holding a trans rights are human rights sign and in the right-hand corner the transbareall logo.

So happy to reconnect with parents and caretakers at WISH Charterto discuss healthy s*xual development. It's never too soon to start talking. *xed .

Does your parent/caretaker group need a refresher or a first time workshop on tips for talking about *xualhealth and ? I'm available for consultations, workshops, and speaking engagements.

Always happy to collaborate with the fantastic folks at L.A. Parent Magazine. No time like the present to have healthy conversations about bodies, boundaries, love, and respect. *xed

Reminder of a simple and honest way we can encourage our kids to treat one another

I want to applaud for this simple request he made on social media the other day. We should all read these words carefully, and take them to heart. When you are causing harm, pain, or hurt to someone, it does not matter if the intention was harmless. We can all stand to put more thought into how we comment about each other. How we say things offhandedly, not always taking the other’s feelings into account. How we focus on appearance rather than what’s inside. Much respect to Jonah!

Female Athletes Need to See Puberty as a Power, Not a Weakness I had the opportunity to safely and naturally grow a body durable enough to compete not only in college, but also beyond.