I used to think teaching kids about boundaries meant having A Serious Talk. Like: sit down, eye contact, maybe a diagram. Something official.
What I’ve learned (both as a parent and a prevention professional) is that most of this stuff doesn’t happen in big conversations. It happens in the throwaway moments. The ones we don’t even register as “teaching.”
Here’s a very normal example: Your kid doesn’t want to hug someone. You’re late. The adult is standing there, arms open. And suddenly you’re doing mental gymnastics: It’s fine, right? I don’t want to be rude... [Continue Reading]
