A Unique Family Board Game Experience
Stranger Danger and Child Abduction
CHILD ABDUCTION
​
Based on the identity of the perpetrator, there are three distinct types of kidnapping: kidnapping by a relative or "family kidnapping" (49%), kidnapping by an acquaintance or "acquaintance kidnapping" (27%), and kidnapping by a stranger to the victim or "stranger kidnapping" (24%).
LONG TERM EFFECTS
​
1 out of 10 children will be sexually abused before they turn 18. Research shows that people sexually violated as children are far more likely to experience psychological problems often lasting into adulthood, including post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, suicide, and substance abuse.
WARNING SIGNS
​
-
Nightmares, sleeping problems
-
Becoming withdrawn or very clingy
-
Becoming unusually secretive
-
Sudden unexplained personality changes, mood swings and seeming insecure
-
​Changes in eating habits
PROTECTING YOUR CHILD
​
If you eliminate opportunities for children to be in isolated, one-on-one situations, you can dramatically reduce the risk of abuse.
1. Minimize Opportunity.
2. Talk About It
3. Recognize the Signs
4. React Responsibly
Talking to children about a difficult topic like sexual abuse can be challenging, but it's one of the most important things you can do to keep them safe. The goal is to provide them with the knowledge they need without causing unnecessary fear.
Here are some key principles to follow:
Focus on Safety and Empowerment
Teach children about safe and unsafe behaviors. Explain that a trusted adult's job is to keep them safe, and that no adult should ever ask a child to keep a secret that makes them feel uncomfortable. Remind them that they have the right to say "no" to anyone who makes them feel uncomfortable, no matter who that person is. This empowers them and helps them trust their own instincts.
​
Use Clear and Simple Language
Avoid using vague or technical terms. Use simple, direct words like "private parts" or "swimsuit areas" to explain what body parts are private. You can use phrases like "your private parts belong only to you" or "no one has the right to touch your private parts unless it's for something like a doctor's checkup or bathing." The goal is to make the information understandable without being scary.
​
Create an Open and Trusting Environment
Make sure your child knows they can talk to you about anything, and that you will always believe them and help them. You can say something like, "If anyone ever touches you in a way that feels wrong, or asks you to do something that makes you feel yucky, please tell me right away. I promise I will listen and help you." This establishes a foundation of trust that is crucial if a child ever needs to report abuse.
​
Talk to Them at an Age-Appropriate Level
The conversation doesn't have to be a one-time event. You can introduce these concepts gradually as your child grows and matures. For very young children, start with the idea of body privacy. As they get older, you can introduce more complex concepts like secrets and tricky situations.
Parents struggle with explaining Child Sexual Abuse and Child Abduction to their children. On the one hand you are teaching them to trust people of Authority, but on the other hand in some cases these are the perpetrators. Because they do have the trust of the child, they feel a certain freedom to get away with unacceptable behavior. Knowing the difference is confusing for both the parent and the child.
With all the unique circumstances of each family, "Let's Chat" gives you the opportunity to sit down with your child and stay on top of things going on in their life. If your child stays with your best friend after school, when playing "Let's Chat" it gives the child the opportunity to bring up and "chat" about anything going on. Better to hear "I had a great time today" rather than "I don't want to go over there anymore" but at least you know your child's feelings and you can begin to be aware of the reasons.
"Let's Chat" addresses Child Abduction and Abuse with questions like:
-Where are your "private areas"?
-Does anybody, even people you trust, have the right to touch you in your "private areas"?
​
You then have the chance to discuss these issues with your child in a safe, secure, and comfortable setting. And with answers and solutions that fit your family!
Let's Chat!
"Let's Chat" is a Unique Family Game Experience
-
Let's Chat is Unique in the fact that it literally grows up with your child. When your child is younger, you are creating an open communication environment, approaching serious issues in a delicate manner. As your children get older, you are able to expand upon the serious issues with age appropriate conversations. Certainly your conversation with a 5 year old will be different than with a 10 year old. But all the while, you are building a knowledge bank of information on serious issues your child may have to face.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique in the way that it encourages open communication between a parent and child which can be the most effective way of shaping your child's growth and future. But in many cases parents do not know how to talk with their child about such important topics without making it sound scary or even worse, a lecture. "Let's Chat" takes away the awkwardness of these subjects and puts them in a very "matter of fact" way.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique because every family has different dynamics and "Let's Chat" gives you the opportunity to discuss these issues in a way that is best suited for your individual family. While school may address these issues, they are addressed in such a generic way that it may not be suitable for your family with it's unique set of circumstances.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique with the way it approaches and teaches children. Data shows that children learn from repetition, and in an emergency situation you want your child to know right away, without hesitation, how to react to a serious issue. Hoping that your child will know how to react is not good enough. Because your child will love to play "Let's Chat" with you, you have the opportunity teach and reiterate these valuable life lessons.
​
-
Let's Chat is Unique by the way that it empowers the child to feel they can open up and communicate in an environment that safe and non-threatening. Each person starts the game with a card that they can use at anytime. It says "Let's Chat about this later!" It gives the parent and child the opportunity to discuss things privately so that the child does not feel embarrassed or shy. It also gives the parents the perfect way to bring it up later when the opportunity arises.
​​The question could be:
What do I do if someone offers me alcohol?
The question could be:
What do I do if someone tells me to hide this from my parents?
The question could be:
What do I do if someone makes me feel uncomfortable?
How To Play Let's Chat:
The greatest thing about how this board game is set up is that everything begins and ends at HOME, where it should. The players pick a card which has a question on it, at that point you "chat" about the question and the answer, then move the appropriate number of spaces. There are no right or wrong answers, only the opportunity for you to "chat" with your child about how your family feels it is best for the issue to be handle
​
​