How to Talk to Your Teen About Sexual Assault in a Healthy Way

I know that the idea of talking to your teen about sexual assault can make most adults feel extremely uncomfortable, but having (and normalizing) conversations around sexual ethics, consent, harassment and assault is an essential component to a teen’s ability to make wise choices in the future.  Think about the things you knew at 17, then think about what you knew at 27.  There is a world of knowledge gained in that crucial decade between leaving home for the first time and arriving at our version of “adulthood.”

 Here are some tips to starting this tough talk with teens in a healthy way, and any of them will help make the path forward just a little easier:

 3 Tips for Talking to Your Teen About Sexual Assault

1)    Try to suspend judgement. This is a hard one, but the benefits of your teen talking to you openly far outweighs the cost of trying to direct or judge them.  If you disagree with a decision, try asking your teen about the choice they are making and why it feels right for them. 

2)    Start with a casual inquiry.  Conversations with teens aren’t required to be long and exhaustive.  It’s best to start with short discussions (like exploring the definition of assault, or discussing an assault case from the news) that can build over time.

3)    Be open to sharing.  Sometimes our own stories are the best teaching tools we have. Try to identify an experience from your own life that feels relevant and offer it to your teen from the perspective of your younger self, like “Back then, I thought that if everyone else was doing it, that meant I should too…” You don’t have to disclose anything more than what the experience taught you, like, “I learned to trust myself, and not blindly follow along with what other people said.”

Every caring adult wants to protect their teen from sexual trauma, and the best way to do so is to equip them with the right knowledge, tools and strength to make the kind of choices that support safe outcomes. If you’re interested in learning more about ways to empower your teenager or young adult, feel free to check out our signature program at: Bestrongbewise.com