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Final BITSS of Protective Play

As we’ve seen over the previous five BITSS articles on Body ownership, Intuition, Touch, Say no and Support networks, there are endless ways to include BITSS activities and games as part of your child’s everyday life. The suggestions provided were an entree to get you thinking and playing protectively. Stay curious, create different activities, seek out more information or think about getting a few resources from sexual assault centers or other places that deal with child sexual abuse. There are also some great computer games that children can play to help them learn about personal safety. Hold a protective behaviors … Continue reading →

BITSS of Support Networks

Children most at risk of sexual abuse are those without support networks – a range of trusted adults to talk to. Once we lived in extended family groups, nowadays we tend to be isolated from our emotional supports. We may live busy lives with little time for just chatting with our children or friends. Support networks are important for all of us. Predators love children with few supports. Worse still, predators will groom the few supports and trick them into believing that the child is lying about sexual abuse. To counteract this, remain in contact with friends: talk, listen, and … Continue reading →

Teachable Moments in Protective Play.

Protective play is about finding teachable moments, during play, to introduce the five BITSS elements of protective behaviors. BITSS play can help you to protect your child by introducing talk about Body Ownership, Intuition, Touch, Say No and Support Networks before anything horrible happens to your child. I run Protective Play parties to teach parents how easy it is to do. I take a stock of everyday toys with me and we sit and play as if kids would. During the play I coach in how find and grab that teachable moment and mentor the participants through play tutoring. It … Continue reading →

Drink spiking: A Rapists Favorite Game (Continued).

This article has been continued from Drink Spiking: A Rapists Favorite Game. Who are the victims of drink spiking? All types of people have become victims of drink spiking, however the majority of reported Australian victims are young women aged between fifteen and thirty. Where does drink spiking happen? Most cases of drink spiking happen at nightclubs and pubs. However, there have also been incidents of drink spiking at private parties, school functions and restaurants. What can I do to prevent my drink being spiked? • Make sure you don’t leave your drink unattended. If you need to go somewhere … Continue reading →

Umbrellas and Parrots to Help Play Protect our Children. Thanks Mary Poppins.

I’m back and how I have missed my friends at families.com. However, my recent Protective Play tour to Maryborough was Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I was guest speaker at the breakfast launch of Sexual Violence Awareness month and facilitated a four-hour training in the BITSS model of Protective Behaviors. Twenty-one social science professionals attended the training and we played with everyday toys and household items in an effort to discover novel ways to instill protective behavior teachable moments into families’ homes. Of most interest to me was the revisit of the umbrella as a protective play tool. Umbrellas are useful for protection from … Continue reading →

Mary Poppins was Written by a Child in Need of Protection.

Mary Poppins was a nanny with pull. She knew which strings to pull to keep her charges in line and, even when she introduced them to risky situations, she worked hard to keep them safe. She knew how to shape Mr. and Mrs. Banks into responding to the needs of their children and she frowned upon their constant absences. What a shame the parents of the Mary Poppins author were unable to offer the same level of care and child protection. Mary Poppins was not merely a spoonful of sugar! Written by a woman who had experienced a childhood that … Continue reading →

Thera Pea Dolls: At home Protective Play That Won’t Break the Bank.

Thera Pea Dolls are a tool I use to teach Protective Behaviors. In my role as a child therapist and Protective Behavior consultant, I am always on the look out for different ideas to present as teaching utensils for parents to use with their own children if they want to. I like to suggest protective play resources that are either free or take little expense to make. One of the favored resources I use is Thera Pea Dolls. The dolls are simply a stuffed body outline that can be written on, or drawn upon, for numerous at home psycho-educational purposes. … Continue reading →

Sexual Predators Groom for Silence

Yesterday we looked at the grooming process that sexual predators use on children and their adult supports. The predators purposely groom to trick and manipulate others into believing that the abuser is a wonderful, caring person. Throughout this devious method of control, they also groom the child to stay silent. A threat doesn’t have to be made in anger. A soft, caring voice that warns a child that if they tell, the family will be destroyed is as effective as holding a knife to a child’s throat. Children love and trust their families; they do not want to be the … Continue reading →