Liar, liar!

Most - if not quite all of us - agree that it's good to talk. That talking - especially to children, particularly about tricky subjects - is the most important way to help them. If you don't like knowledge, try ignorance, as someone once said.



But talking about tricky subjects is, well... tricky.



And there's maybe nothing more tricky than sexual abuse.



Mine you, you wouldn't not tell your children about the dangers of crossing the road or playing with matches just because it might not be all that easy, would you?



What's key is talking appropriately, finding an age-appropriate way to handle sensitive issues. And that isn't easy.



Thankfully, no parent has to approach it single-handedly. The NSPCC campaign called 'Talking PANTS' allocates a simple rule to each letter from P to S and enlists the help of Pantosaurus (it's a cartoon dinosaur game which is free to download from the iOS and Android app store) to make things easier.



Here are the rules:




Privates are private 
Always remember your body belongs to you
No means no
Talk about secrets that upset you, and 
Speak up – someone can help.



And here's a link where you can find both information and support about the PANTS campaign as well as talking and listening techniques: nspcc.org.uk/pants



And finally, here's the TV ad that accompanies the campaign.