Yes! No! A First Conversation about Consent

"Yes! No! is part of a series that is intended to help parents begin discussing important issues with children when they are starting to talk and develop social awareness. It introduces basic concepts about bodily autonomy and reasons why grownups intervene in your body in ways that don’t feel good, but are reasonable, like insisting that you wear a bike helmet. It teaches young children that they have a right to physical self-determination in terms of things like hugging others. This book has beautiful illustrations and very inclusive illustrations. “Think about the amount of time you spend teaching them oral hygiene. Teaching them about sexual citizenship is just one step further” There’s a lot of evidence that this type of work can prevent child sexual abuse. When you teach young people from a young age that other people don’t have a right to touch them, they know to get a grown up if they are subject to assault. Yes! No! is both about setting kids on a path to have satisfying caring, intimate relationships, and keeping them safe from things that are far too common in childhood. It’s a tool for parents. All of us have young people in our lives; providing a resource to begin conversations with them is important. You don’t have to be an expert to buy this book and to read it to your kid. You just need to pick it up and begin the conversation."