Dads Read Too

JER: my spouse, Mallory Lake @americanhygge, found this really great book a while ago - “ Your Body Belongs to You ” by author Cornelia Spelman and illustrator Teri Weidner which is a great introduction into the concept of consent and bodily autonomy for children.  It empowers children to decide when and how they express affection, it models how parents can reinforce their decisions, and it makes it clear that only parents and doctors should be touching them on the “places on your body covered by a bathing suit”

Being a parent involves setting societal and cultural norms for your children.  When and where is it appropriate to eat, when and where is it appropriate to use electronic devices, when and where is it appropriate to sleep, when and where is it appropriate to urinate and defecate, etc.  That last one has an instructive, humorous story. One of my nephews had been on a long road trip to California, and something many people can relate to on long road trips, this nephew needed to urinate, but there wasn't an exit, a gas station, or any bathroom for miles in either direction.  His parents tried to explain to this nephew that in this circumstance, it was okay to urinate outdoors, on the side of the road, because there isn't any other alternative.  Great, no problem, many people have experienced needing to urinate outdoors when camping, traveling, or otherwise in a pinch.  Fast forward to after their road trip is over, they jad made it to Carlsbad, California, and...