Responding to Your Child
After your child discloses abuse, thank him/her,
stressing that it was the right thing to do.
Here are some other things you might want to say—in your own way—to your child.
What to Say to Your Child
- “I am glad you told me. I know this wasn’t easy. Thank you.”
- “You are very brave and did the right thing by telling me. I know it may not have been easy, but you need to know that you didn’t do anything wrong.”
- “We know how scary this may have been for you to talk to us. This is a problem e need help with, and there are special people who can help.”
- “I am sorry I wasn’t there to stop this from happening. It wasn’t your fault. We are going to talk to some people who will help us.”
- “You are very brave, and the person who hurt you was wrong. We’re here for you.”
- “You are smart to talk to me. I’m really proud of you. Now we need to tell some people who can help us. There are people who know how to work with this kind of situation.”
- “I am so proud of you for letting me handle this situation. What I need to do now is make a report to people who know how to stop this from happening again.”
- THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?”
