First graders. Kindergarten. Pre-school. Both genders. Start with "stop means stop," as one teacher rules (over on cereta's post). Start with boundaries of "ask before hugging" ("if someone had a sunburn or an owchie, would you want to accidentally hug and make it hurt?"). Pinpoint the bullying tactics (my kid's nemesis started by hissing at her, in first grade...) and land on them.
Go on to "no means no" as they get older. Teach physical boundaries, rules for appropriate and inappropriate touching. Teach that different people have different levels of touch-preference, and they should ask first.
Start early. So early that it gets in first, that respect for people's boundaries is ingrained.
When they're teenagers, point out that "romance" includes passionate eye-contact and a gentle, "How far do you want to go?" more than assumptions. Point out that "consent" means an enthusiastic "Yes!" and not a mere absence of a "no."
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Date: 2009-06-17 12:50 am (UTC)Go on to "no means no" as they get older. Teach physical boundaries, rules for appropriate and inappropriate touching. Teach that different people have different levels of touch-preference, and they should ask first.
Start early. So early that it gets in first, that respect for people's boundaries is ingrained.
When they're teenagers, point out that "romance" includes passionate eye-contact and a gentle, "How far do you want to go?" more than assumptions. Point out that "consent" means an enthusiastic "Yes!" and not a mere absence of a "no."