Teaching Children Body Autonomy

In "Seven Steps to Teaching Children Body Autonomy," M.D. Shalon Nienow identifies 7 things for parents to teach their children about their bodies.

• Teach the anatomic names for their body parts.
• It is OK to say NO.
• Ask permission before touching someone else's body
• There is a difference between touch that makes them feel happy and touch that feels uncomfortable, scary, or confusing.
• There are OK secrets (what you are getting your dad for his birthday) and not OK (hiding when you have been hurt or hurt someone else or someone has touched your body in a way you do not like)
• It is not their fault if something happens to their body they didn't like.