Teaching the child to protect his body

In recent years we have been inundated with news about the physical or non-physical abuse of children, most of which involve alleged perpetrators who belong in the closest family environment, unfortunately, for many of us, people above all suspicion. That is why it is necessary and immediate to teach children to protect their physical integrity and not be vulnerable in such situations.
Protecting myself means respecting my body, and parents teach this from a very young age. From infants still, they show which touches are pleasant and which cause them discomfort. In those cases, we realize that this is the child’s limit to his body, up to the extent he feels good. If we stop, we show respect for the child and his physical integrity, teaching him that his limits are vital to us. But if we continue with, for example, squeezing, tickling, etc., despite the child’s discomfort, he gets the message that his limits have no value to others, and no matter how much he cries or shakes hands – feet will not change anything.
Growing up and having developed verbal communication, they can answer our question, “Can I give you a hug?” “Do you want to kiss Grandma?” and so on, which helps them develop their self-protection capacity through the awareness of whether or not they feel comfortable with contact with a person, whether it belongs to the family environment or the broader social circle.
Therefore, we respect the child’s body and, in doing so, learn to defend his space and react when touched against his will. Similarly, we support the child’s right to refuse the kiss of our grandfather or aunt, and we are alert to the people on our own and the child’s environment. Child abuse usually occurs when the child has not learned to oppose adult wishes and might do whatever he is asked to please them. Growing up, we will explain the dangers of the outside world to him, but more effectively, we shield him by teaching him to trust his instincts and not obey indiscriminately what other people say and desire.
In the following link, you will find a sketched conversation between mom and daughter that shows respect for the child’s body:
https://medium.com/@lizandrade/survivor-mom-teaching-consent-16888274edf1