These Videos Teach Kids Age-Appropriate Agreement and Awkwardness.
Agreeing isn’t that hard. Yet there is still a lot of confusion about what “counts” as sexual violence, according to a study by the National Center for Sexual Violence Resource Center. Case in point: Harvey Weinstein .
For parents, conversations about consent shouldn’t start when your kids are in their teens and are shown a crappy sex video that, as John Oliver describes , is “30-year-old actors dressed like ’90s teens.” These conversations should start much earlier, around the time when Grandpa starts telling them, “Kiss me and I’ll give you a candy,” or when other mums and dads in the playground say, “Time to go! Hug your new friend goodbye! »As with talking about sex , the discussion should be ongoing, age appropriate and active (no need to wait for your child to have a specific question).
Here are some videos to help you start a conversation. Some have analogies that can be really helpful in explaining big concepts to kids.
For preschoolers and younger students
This video from Blue Seat Studios just breaks the consensus: “This is your body. And you yourself decide what to do with your body. “
My 4-year-old daughter loves this video from Ruby’s Studio called “I Am The Boss Of My Body.” The song really touches: “I can be young. I can be small. But this is my body, I answer all of this. ” (It works too well. I once told her to turn off the TV and she quickly replied, “I am the master of my body and my body will keep watching.” Phew.)
For teens and teenagers
The nonprofit AMAZE produces honest, engaging and engaging videos to help teens and teens understand big and important topics that are sometimes awkward to talk about. Here’s one that looks at the basic principles of consent, highlighting the fact that just because someone agrees to engage in one behavior does not mean that they have agreed to engage in another, and that someone can always change their mind.
The video Tea and Consent explains sexual consent in a simple metaphor: tea. As the video went viral over the past couple of years, producers Emmeline May and Blue Seat Studios have released a “clean” version without profanity that would be perfect for showing teens and teens.