Mothers want to
protect their children so that
sexual abuse does not occur. They want to help their children develop the ability to protect themselves. This section includes some of the
vulnerability factors and
child risk factors that help you understand how best to provide the needed protection. Certain factors contribute to protecting children, and you can work towards increasing some of these factors in your child's life.
Resilience refers to the ability to bounce back from crisis events. Some people are able to recover faster, and certain behaviors and
supportive influences contribute to resiliency. Ways to develop and increase resiliency include:
- Learning emotion management skills
- Learning behavior management skills
- Learning problem-solving skills
- Learning decision-making skills
- Practicing sense of humor
- Obtaining good mentors and role models to be coaches
Both you and your child will benefit from increased resilience. Your role as mother is one of protector. Learning how to best protect your child is critical to promoting your child's safety and preventing future abuse. Increasing your own resilience will assist you in this role.You also want to teach your child self-protection skills. Both you and your child can increase your sense of empowerment and overcome the helplessness, hopelessness, and negative emotions that are normal following disclosure.
And last - you need an Emergency Plan. Although you hope and plan for healing and recovery and lessening of the crisis, sometimes things get worse before they get better. You need to have a detailed plan in place for what you will do if you or your child are at risk in the future.