CJ ScarletThroughout your darling’s childhood, he’s going to encounter tons of people, most of whom you both know fairly well—at daycare and pre-school, on play dates, at events, in your own home—and any one of them could be a predator. I don’t care how alert you think you are; you can’t keep him in your sight every second. It’s not possible and it’s not even remotely healthy.
Your child’s best bet to stay safe is for you to teach him how to protect and defend himself when you’re not around. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say. By reading my Badass Parenting book and following my advice, you’re doing the one, most important thing you can do to protect your child from harm—taking action.
Research shows that children who are taught to protect and defend themselves—by doing things like yelling, running away, saying “no,” or by fighting—are less attractive to predators and stand a significantly greater chance of escaping an abusive situation or potential abduction.
Educating yourself and your child is super liberating, and the positive seeds you plant in his mind today will blossom into positive behaviors that will serve him throughout his life. Rather than worrying about nebulous dangers, you’ll know the facts, and once you teach your child he needs to know, you’ll sleep better at night knowing you’ve taught him to be a little baby badass who can take care of himself.
As former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass observed, and I’m paraphrasing here, it’s far easier to raise strong children than to repair broken adults. I’m convinced that if I’d been taught that it was okay to say “no” in situations where I felt uncomfortable, 99 percent of the shitty things that happened to me as a kid and teenager would never have occurred and I wouldn’t have had to grapple with post-traumatic stress for most of my life.
BTW, if you yourself are the survivor of child abuse, applying what you learn in my book is your best chance to break the cycle! Be excited about having this opportunity to learn how to step up and protect your child in a way you weren’t.
Be the parent your child deserves!
Love,
the Badass Grandma
About CJ Scarlet
CJ Scarlet, aka the “Badass Grandma,” is a danger expert, victim advocate, and crime survivor herself. Most importantly, Scarlet is the doting grandma of three precocious toddlers. CJ has given speeches and workshops at national and international events; and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including MSNBC and NPR.
The former U.S. Marine photojournalist and forest firefighter holds an interdisciplinary master’s degree in Humanities with an emphasis on human violence from Old Dominion University. Named one of the “Happy 100” people on the planet, CJ’s story of triumph over adversity is featured in two bestselling books, including Happy for No Reason and Be Invincible.
Connect with CJ
Facebook: @cjscarletauthor
Instagram: @cj.scarlet
LinkedIn: @cjscarlet